Lawmakers on Tuesday pressed for the resignation of former Supreme Court Justice, A. K. Ganguly over allegations of sexually assaulting a law intern on International Human Rights Day.
Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) leader Derek O'Brien said: "Today is United Nations Human Rights Day. It is a travesty that Justice Ganguly continues to be the Chief of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. Sir, please do not mock your office. It will be apt if Justice Ganguly chose United Nations Human Rights Day today to step down as Chairman of the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. Violators can't be guardians."
Denying the allegations, Justice Ganguly, 66, said he was "shocked and shattered" by the allegations made against him by a 22-year-old lawyer who had interned with him.
Ganguly is the Chairman of Human Rights Commission in West Bengal and has presided over numerous cases involving crimes against women in his career as a judge.
He denied all allegations and refused to answer any question.
"I will not be answering any of your questions. According to me, I have not done anything wrong. I do not want to answer any questions," said Ganguly.
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The law intern wrote in a blog post on November 06 that a top judge assaulted her in a hotel room last December - just when huge protests were taking place over the fatal gang rape and murder of a physiotherapist in the Indian capital.
The intern's allegations created a media furore - with female lawyers and activists calling for the country's top court to investigate the incident and for the accused judge to be named publicly.
The Supreme Court set up a three-judge panel, which heard testimonies from both, the law intern and Ganguly and submitted its report to the Chief Justice of India, P. Sathasivam, naming Ganguly as the accused.
It is the first time India's Supreme Court has set up an internal inquiry into sexual harassment allegations against a presiding or former judge.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD), party Jay Panda, said: "This is a very unfortunate situation where a former Judge of the Supreme Court, is not only that he is accused but now his brother judges on a Supreme Court Committee have found prima-facie evidence of sexual misconduct, so it is very unfortunate that he continues to hold an important position."
The report has not been made public and it is not clear what action the chief justice will take, but lawyers and feminists are calling for a police complaint to be registered and for an inquiry.
Lawmakers demanded his resignation on International Human Rights Day and activists say sexual harassment and abuse by powerful and privileged men is widespread in India, but few women have been willing to talk about it.
It was on this day in 1948 that the General Assembly of United Nations had adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.