TMC mounts pressure on WBHRC chairman to step down

Mounting pressure on Justice (Retd) A K Ganguly, indicted for sexually harassing a law intern, Trinamool Congress today asked him to step down as West Bengal Human Rights Commission chairman on moral grounds.

"What he has written to the Chief Justice of India, P Sathasivam, is his business. It is not our political demand but a demand for decency and justice that he should step down on moral grounds", senior TMC leader and party MP Saugata Roy told PTI.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written two letters to President Pranab Mukherjee demanding "urgent appropriate action" against the former Supreme Court judge and the President has initiated steps. The matter was referred to the Home Ministry which in turn referred it to the Law ministry and the Attorney General has also given his report," Roy said.

"Let him (the WBHRC chairman) now defend himself through due process," Roy suggested.

In her affidavit to a three-judge panel set up by the Chief Justice of India, the law intern had described his alleged behaviour when she had gone to assist him in his work in a New Delhi hotel on December 24 last year.

The panel had indicted him by holding that the statement of the intern, both written and oral, had prima facie disclosed "an act of unwelcome behaviour (unwelcome verbal/non-verbal conduct of sexual nature)" by Justice (retd) Ganguly with her in the hotel room.