Calcutta High Court Judge Moves Supreme Court After Division Bench Stays His Orders

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay has sought the intervention of the Supreme Court, alleging that the division bench was repeatedly acting as a stumbling block to the orders of the single bench.

New Delhi: In an unprecedented event, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court has moved the Supreme Court in light of the division bench of the HC staying some of his recent orders.

A single bench of Justice Gangopadhyay had directed the CBI to probe alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff in government schools in West Bengal. However, the order was stayed by the HC division bench.

Following that, the single bench sought an account of the movable and immovable assets of Shanti Prasad Singh, then an advisor to the SSC, in an alleged teacher recruitment case. But the division bench stayed that order too.

In the wake of these incidents, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay sought the intervention of the apex court, alleging that the division bench was repeatedly acting as a stumbling block to the orders of the single bench for the "benefit of someone else".

On Tuesday, Justice Gangopadhyay directed that the documents of the four CBI probe cases filed by him in the last couple of recruitment cases and the stay order granted by Justice Harish Tandon's division bench on them be forwarded to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of the High Court.

According to Justice Gangopadhyay, "Let the country see what's going on with the illegal employment. Let the whole thing be judged."

At the same time, in a written administrative directive, Justice Gangopadhyay said that a lawyer had come to him on Tuesday to speak on behalf of an influential politician in all these cases. He folded his hands and apologised, asking him to forgive him.

Justice Gangopadhyay said, "I gave him a cup of coffee and told him to go. If the Chief Justice wants to know the name of that person, I will say so."

Meanwhile, the division bench of Justice Harish Tandon directed that the counter-sealed envelope of former SSC adviser Shanti Prasad Singh's assets not be opened.

"My hands are being tied again and again," the HC judge said, adding, "I appeal to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to look into the matter and probe the ongoing corruption."

Such an incident has never happened in the history of the Calcutta High Court where a judge has approached the Supreme Court alleging that a stay order was being issued on his judgement.