Justice Gangopadhyay of Calcutta HC to resign on March 5, may join politics
“I have been challenged to come and fight on the (political) field several times by the ruling party’s (TMC’s) leaders, so I thought why not,” he said
Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who recently hogged the limelight in judge vs judge controversy, on Sunday said he was quitting judiciary amid speculations that he may join politics.
Justice Gangopadhyay declined to comment on whether he intends to enter politics, stating that he would address all media inquiries after submitting his resignation. “I will resign from the post of Justice of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday,” he told reporters outside his residence on Sunday.
Justice Gangopadhyay said he will submit his resignation to the President of India in the first hour on Tuesday, with copies sent to the Chief Justice of India and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court. He joined the high court in 2018 and was due to retire in August 2024.
He has issued several directives instructing the CBI and the ED to probe allegations of irregularities in the recruitment processes of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and -aided schools.
Meanwhile, in an interview with Bengali news channel ABP Ananda, Gangopadhyay said, “I have been challenged to come and fight on the (political) field several times by the ruling party’s (TMC’s) leaders, so I thought why not.”
The judge, whose courtroom has witnessed several dramatic moments, said he would contest elections if given a ticket, but did not say which party he was going to join. However, flaying West Bengal’s ruling TMC, he said corruption was rampant in the state. He also said that he was not able to reach out to the common people from the courtroom.
“As a Bengali, I cannot accept this. Those who emerged as rulers did not seem to be able to benefit the kingdom. I will take the challenge and I have decided to resign on Tuesday. On Monday, I will be in court as I have lots of cases at hand,” he said.
Judge vs judge row
Interestingly, Justice Gangopadhyay was in the eye of storm in the recent judge vs judge row in Calcutta High Court, prompting intervention from the Supreme Court which transferred to itself a case related to alleged irregularities in medical admissions in West Bengal.
The case in question pertained to allegations of irregularities in issuance of caste certificates to MBBS candidates aspiring for admission in reserved category seats in state-run medical colleges and hospitals in West Bengal.
The apex court took suo moto cognizance of the matter after a single-judge bench of Justice Gangopadhyay on January 25 defied a stay order passed by a division bench and asked the CBI to immediately start probing the case.
Justice Gangopadhyay during his hearing also made strong remarks against Justice Soumen Sen, one of the judges in the Division Bench, accusing him of pandering to the interests of West Bengal's ruling party to overrule his order for a CBI probe.
The feud was a rare occurrence as officially as it was the first time a single-judge bench had refused to acknowledge the authority of a larger bench of the same court, in defiance of well-established laws.
Proved us right: TMC
Reacting to the development, TMC state spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said, “We have been saying for long that he is a political party worker. We thank him today for proving us right.”
State BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar hailed Gangopadhyay’s decision to join politics. “People like him joining politics is something that is in the country’s favour. I guess the BJP would be his natural choice,” he said.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said his party would welcome Gangopadhyay. “He is a crusader against corruption. If he wants to join the Congress, we will give him a warm welcome. He is a fighter. If he joins the BJP, then ideologically we can’t support (him).” Chowdhury had once said that he would like Gangopadhyay to be the chief minister of West Bengal.
(With agency inputs)
