'Will Obey': Justice Gangopadhyay As SC Removes Him From Hearing Case

Kolkata, 28 April, (IANS): Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court vowed on Friday evening that he will continue to be vocal against corruption in the coming days. Gangopadhyay`s remark came after the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice to take away Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee`s case from the court of Justice Gangopadhyay, and assign it to some other judge. The top court passed he direction based on its analysis of the transcript of an interview which Gangopadhyay gave to a Bengali news channel in September last year.

"As long as I operate as a judge, I will always be vocal against corruption. Even when I am not working as a judge, then also I will be vocal against corruption. But all of us will have to accept the decision of the Supreme Court," Gangopadhyay said while leaving the court premises late on Friday evening.

Just half-an-hour before that, the Supreme Court in a late evening hearing stayed the order passed by him directing the apex court`s Secretary General to produce the report and official transcript of the interview he had given to a news channel.

While admitting that at this moment, only two cases related to the recruitment scam have been transferred from this bench, Justice Gangopadhyay expressed apprehension that the remaining cases might also be transferred from his bench on similar grounds.

"Everyone has his own style of functioning. My style is different from others. If a process is completed in six months under my jurisdiction, the same might take seven years to complete in the future. In that case, neither I, nor the Supreme Court will have anything to say. All I can say is `long live Supreme Court`," Justice Gangopadhyay said.

He also said that it is the duty of every person to follow the directives of the Supreme Court.

"Some might be sad. But there is no option but to follow the directive of the Supreme Court. This applies to all," he said.

SC Transfers Recruitment Scam Case

Earlier during the day, the top court asked the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to assign the recruitment scam in government schools in West Bengal to some other judge, instead of Justice Gangopadhyay, who heard the matter so far, after considering his interview to a news channel. The top court passed the order on a plea by Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee against the High Court`s order allowing his questioning by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

Within hours of the top court`s order, Justice Gangopadhyay himself registered a case as "In Re: The Court on its own motion" and directed the apex court`s Secretary General to produce before him transcripts of the translation of his interview to a TV channel furnished before the top court.

Following this, a bench of Justices Bopanna and Kohli considered the matter in a special sitting after 8 p.m. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said it is unfortunate that this order was passed and asked the apex court to stay the order.

On April 24, the top court said that judges have no business granting interviews to news channels on matters pending before them.

The court took strong exception to sitting Calcutta High Court judge Justice Gangopadhyay`s interview to a news channel in connection with Abhishek Banerjee, even as a case concerning Banerjee was being heard by him.

The bench said: "Judges have no business granting interviews to television or whatever channels on matters which are pending before them... how can they, given an interview."