Abhijit Gangopadhyay resigns as Calcutta HC judge to join BJP: Who is he?

Abhijit Gangopadhyay sent his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu. A copy of the same was also sent to CJI DY Chandrachud and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta HC TS Sivagnanam

Hours after resigning as a judge at the Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay announced on Tuesday that he will be joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In a press conference, Gangopadhyay said that he would join the saffron party on March 7. "I am joining the BJP as it is a national party, which is fighting against the corruption of the TMC in Bengal," he said.

Earlier in the day, Gangopadhyay sent his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu. A copy of the same was also sent to CJI DY Chandrachud and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta HC TS Sivagnanam.

Who is Abhijit Gangopadhyay?

Abhijit Gangopadhyay was scheduled to retire in July. The HC judge has faced criticism from the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party for some of his judgements in the past. Gangopadhay, 62, joined the HC as an additional judge in 2018. He became a permanent judge two years later in July 2020.

Prior to becoming a lawyer, Gangopadhay served as a West Bengal Civil Service officer.

Notably, he ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged West Bengal teacher recruitment scam in May 2022. The case pertains to the appointment of certain categories of non-teaching staff and teaching staff by West Bengal officials between 2014 and 2021.

It is alleged that the appointees paid bribes of up to Rs 15 lakh to get the jobs after failing the selection tests. The West Bengal School Service Commission and the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education made the appointments.

In April 2023, the judge ordered the CBI to probe similar suspected recruitment scams in other departments, too. Both CBI and ED have alleged to the Supreme Court that the two scams are related.

Notably, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee, his wife and his parents are all suspects in the alleged teaching recruitment scam.