PIL filed seeking direction to Bengal government on WBHRC

KOLKATA: A PIL was filed before the Calcutta High Court seeking direction to the West Bengal government to take necessary steps to ensure that people did not lose faith in the West Bengal Human Rights Commission in the wake of the Supreme Court's indictment of its chairman Justice Ashok Kumar Ganguly.

The petitioner prayed before the court that it direct the state government to "take all necessary steps to ensure that the people of West Bengal do not lose faith on the West Bengal Human Rights Commission ( WBHRC) as a neutral, impartial and balanced institution," in view of former Supreme Court judge Justice Ganguly's indictment.

A committee of three judges of the apex Court had indicted Justice Ganguly for "unwelcome behaviour" and "conduct of sexual nature" towards a woman law intern who made a complaint alleging of sexual harassment.

The petitioner Ramaprasad Sarkar, an advocate, also prayed that direction be passed on the state to bring before this court all documents and records pertaining to the matter and after perusing the same, the court may pass necessary orders.

Sarkar said that the matter is likely to come up before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi on Thursday.

Justice Ganguly, who retired from the apex court more than a year ago, was accused by the law intern of sexually harassing her in a hotel room in Delhi last year.

He had strongly denied the charge. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who had chosen Ganguly as chairman of the WBHRC after taking over the reins of the state in 2011, has written two letters on consecutive days last week to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking removal of Justice Ganguly as the head of the commission.