WB Governor accepts A K Ganguly's resignation

The resignation of Justice A K Ganguly as chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission in the wake of allegations of sexual misconduct with a law intern has been accepted.

West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, whom the former Supreme Court judge met and handed over his resignation yesterday, has accepted it, highly-placed sources said today.

"The Governor has accepted the resignation and has informed the state government about it," the sources told PTI.

After his meeting with the Governor at Raj Bhavan yesterday, 66-year-old Ganguly had refused to make any comments.

However, highly placed sources had said Ganguly handed over his resignation, four days after the Union Cabinet met and decided to make a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court for his removal from the post as mandated under the Human Rights Commission Act.

Ever since the scandal broke in November, the former apex court judge had refused to step down even after a three-judge committee of the Supreme Court had indicted him.

The panel had held that the statement of the intern, both written and oral, had prima facie disclosed "an act of unwelcome behaviour (unwelcome verbal/non-verbal conduct of sexual nature)" by the judge with her in the Le Meridien hotel room in Delhi on December 24, 2012.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written twice to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking urgent action against the retired judge.

The Union Cabinet among other things had taken into account the Chief Minister's communication to the President.

Justice Ganguly has denied the allegations of the law intern and blamed "powerful interests" of trying to tarnish his image due to certain judgements delivered by him.
Ganguly did not attend office today.

Ganguly called up his office in the morning and told the staff that he would not be coming today, according to WBHRC sources.