Who is Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay?
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay is an Indian judge and presently serving as Calcutta High Court judge. He joined the Calcutta HC as an additional judge on May 2, 2018 and was elevated as a permanent judge of the HC on July 30, 2020.
Early life and education
Abhijit Gangopadhyay was born in 1962 in Kolkata and his father was a lawyer. Gangopadhyay attended Mitra Institution (Main), a Bengali-medium school in Kolkata. After 1979, he studied law at Hazra Law College. While studying in college, he used to act in Bengali theatre and was also a member of a theatre group "Amitra Chanda". He last acted in a play in 1986.
Career
Abhijit Gangopadhyay began his career as a West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS) A-grade officer posted at North Dinajpur. Later, he left the job and started practising as a State Advocate in the Calcutta High Court before the elevation in the bench. He joined in the High Court as an additional judge on May 2, 2018 and became a permanent judge on July 30, 2020.
In August 2022, a heated discussion took place between him and a section of lawyers of the Calcutta HC during a hearing of the recruitment scam. Justice Gangopadhyay allowed journalists present in the courtroom to record the hearing.
In September 2022, he directed the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to replace the illegally appointed school teachers with eligible waiting list candidates.
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who had been in the headlines during the entire 2022 for his judgements and observations in the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam in West Bengal, was again found at the centre of debate in political circles of the State in 2023.
In April 2023, the Supreme Court took strong exception to sitting Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay giving interview to news channel ABP Ananda regarding Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee even as a case concerning Banerjee was being heard by the judge.
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