Was compelled make affidavit against Ganguly public: Indira Jaising

The ASG revealed the law intern's affidavit Sunday, unfolding the sequence of events that led to the levelling of the charges

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Indira Jaising said Monday that once she realised that a powerful section was backing Justice A.K. Ganguly, she was compelled to make public the affidavit of a law intern alleging sexual misconduct by the retired Supreme Court judge.

The ASG revealed the law intern's affidavit Sunday, unfolding the sequence of events that led to the levelling of charges of sexual harassment against Ganguly, who after retirement from the Supreme Court heads the West Bengal Human Rights Commission.

Despite protests and calls for his resignation as West Bengal human rights panel chief since a three-judge committee appointed by the Supreme Court Dec 5 indicted him, finding him guilty of "unwelcome behaviour" towards the intern, the retired judge has refused to resign.

"It is only after I realised that powerful sections of society were coming out in the public domain to support A.K. Ganguly, and that people were asking, 'what did he do?'... Given that he was refusing to resign, I felt compelled to put the girl's affidavit in the public domain," Indira Jaising said, speaking on a television channel.

The ASG added that the young woman who made the complaint was aware of what Jaising was doing.

"Now the issue just does not concern her, but also the integrity of the institution that Ganguly is heading," Jaising said.

The affidavit mentions that the young woman was working as a research assistant with the retired judge. He called her Dec 24, 2012, to his hotel room, and insisted that she drink wine and spend the night in his room.

"As it was late, he ordered dinner, and over dinner Justice Ganguly made the advances to her, both physical and verbal," Jaising said.

The affidavit said that the woman rushed out of the room and headed home, while Ganguly messaged her on her cell phone to say sorry.