Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: The TMC workers’ legal wing of West Bengal blocked the doors of the Calcutta High Court and barred the lawyers from entering the Court of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
TMC workers’ legal wing said, “Justice Gangopadhyay has committed a crime by passing orders in the School Service Commission (SSC) corruption case.”
On Tuesday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court stayed a single bench order that directed West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the CBI in connection with irregularities in the appointment of assistant teachers in state government-aided schools. Justice Gangopadhyay had also given CBI liberty to arrest the state minister in the case.
Justice Gangopadhyay also said in his order that Chatterjee would not be allowed to be hospitalised to avoid the CBI investigation.
The Bar Association, Calcutta High Court brought out a resolution to boycott Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
“The Hon’ble Chief Justice, being the Master of Roster, if not pleased to change the determination of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay from Wednesday (13/ 4/ 2022) to uphold the Judicial discipline and supremacy of the judiciary as humbly requested by the members of the Bar, will have no option but to abstain from the judicial work in that Court until appropriate recourse is taken having due regard that independent and fair judiciary in the dispensation of Justice is the hallmark of a vibrant democracy,” said Biswabrata Basu Mallick, Hony. Secretary of Bar Association, Calcutta High Court.
He added that the general Body Resolved by a majority in the meeting, in view of the recent unprecedented actions of the Hon’ble Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, in publicly questioning the judicial decisions of the Appeal Court, hearing appeals from orders passed by the Hon’ble Judge hearing education matters, which is acting completely against judicial decorum, decency, judicial discipline and propriety.
According to Biswabrata Basu Mallick, such act and action on the part of the learned Single Judge has percolated such a message that four successive Division Bench have recused themselves from the appeals.
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had moved the Supreme Court in light of the Calcutta High Court Division Bench staying some of his orders. Earlier, a single bench of Justice Gangopadhyay had directed the CBI to probe alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff in government schools in the state. However, the order was stayed by the HC division bench.
Justice Gangopadhyay appealed to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to look into the matter.
Meanwhile, a general body meeting of the Bar Association of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday was dissolved due to an unruly situation and no resolution was adopted in it, its president Arunabha Ghosh informed the chief justice of the court.
In the meeting, discussions were scheduled on issues raised by a member with regard to the court of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who has in the recent past ordered CBI enquiry in some of his cases.
Reacting to the dissolution of the general body meeting of the Bar Association of Calcutta High Court, Biswabrata Basu Mallick said that the ‘president of the Bar Association, within four corners of the regulation of Bar Association, does not have any power or authority to declare the General Body Meeting to be dissolved and as such the Letter of Mr Arunava Ghosh is bad and void and no credence/no cognizance be given to the same’.
The lawyers’ protest is still on in the Calcutta High Court. (ANI)
