New Delhi, Jan 30 (UNI) The Supreme Court Collegium has withdrawn its approval to a proposal to confirm the permanent status of an additional judge of the Bombay High Court, Justice Pushpa V Ganediwala, following her controversial verdicts in sexual assault cases.

As per sources in the top court, the three-member Collegium headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde and also comprising Justices NV Ramana and Rohinton Fali Nariman took the decision to recall its January 20 recommendation made to the Centre to make Justice Ganediwala a permanent judge.

Notably, the Apex Court Collegium is rarely known to recall or withdraw the recommendations it makes to the government.

On January 19, Justice Ganediwala had acquitted a man accused of groping a 12-year-old girl's breast citing he did not made any "skin-to-skin contact."

In another case, Justice Ganediwala ruled that "the acts of 'holding the hands of the prosecutrix' (female victim), or 'opened zip of the pant'...does not amount to sexual assault as defined under Section 7 of the POCSO Act after acquitting a man. The victim, in this case, was a five-year-old minor.

In a previous case, she had also reversed a conviction order after noting that there was nothing supporting the prosecution's case for rape.

UNI JW SB 1609