Jaising says there was no overzealousness on part of SC

Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising, who has written to the Prime Minister seeking removal of Justice (retd) A K Ganguly from the post of WBHRC chairman, today claimed there was no overzealousness on the part of the Supreme Court in dealing with the issue as was alleged by former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.
"To say that it is overreach, I think it is unjust on the institution," Jaising said at a press conference here seeking removal of Justice Ganguly, indicted for harassment of a woman law intern.
"What the Supreme Court has done is an internal as well as just procedure to look into the complaint. I will say it was rightly done because there was no other forum which she (the law intern) had gone to," Jaising said.

The intern is yet to file a police complaint regarding the incident that allegedly happened on December 24 last year.
Somnath Chatterjee, an eminent barrister, had said about the exercise by the apex court on the complaint by the intern that "I would say it is overzealousness."
Defending Justice Ganguly, the former Lok Sabha Speaker had on World Human Rights Day said, "I have faith in him, he will decide on what has to be done."

Jaising, however, sought to distance herself from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's demand for Justice Ganguly's removal.
When it was pointed out that both she and Banerjee have sought Ganguly's removal, Jaising said, "I have not come here to speak about the state of West Bengal. I have got nothing to do about it."

While Jaising has written to the Prime Minister, Banerjee has sent a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee.
"It is the central government which has the duty to remove the chairperson of any state human rights commission," Jaising said seeking removal of Justice Ganguly as chairman of WBHRC.
"The President acts on the advice of the Cabinet, so I have written to the Prime Minister," the senior law officer of the Union government said.
Asked if she has got any reply, she replied in the negative, saying, "I have written on the 10th (December). It should be given reasonable time.