'Selective hearing' charge spurs rebuttal from Calcutta HC judge

KOLKATA: Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay refuted allegations of political bias in an open court on Tuesday, referring to a meeting with Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee last week when she asked him to "carry on the good work".
"I met the CM at the New Secretariat programme (on August 25). Other judges too were present. I introduced myself, saying I was Abhijit Gangopadhyay. She responded: "You are doing a lot of things. You work like you want to.' I asked if I could say a few words. She said there was no opportunity then and added: 'You are doing good work, carry on'," Justice Gangopadhyay told an open court on Tuesday. The Trinamool or its chief did not respond to the judge's remarks till late on Tuesday evening.
"Some touts will keep talking despite this. Ask them to come with a case," he said before threatening "those who had signed a letter to the Chief Justice" with "a contempt rule". "It is said I go overboard in cases relating to one political party. (But) I try to stop corruption whenever I spot something," Justice Gangopadhyay added.
The judge's comments followed an open-court altercation he had on August 18 with Calcutta High Court Bar Association president Arunava Ghosh. Ghosh, during the hearing of a teacher recruitment case involving Trinamool leader Anubrata Mandal's daughter, compared the atmosphere in the court with that of a market's. Justice Gangopadhyay then threatened Ghosh with contempt and imprisonment but an unfazed Ghosh challenged him to carry out his threats.
Ghosh later complained to Calcutta HC Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava about "the selective hearing of cases" in Justice Gangopadh-yay's court.
Justice Gangopadhyay, referring to the exchange and the insinuations about his permission to videograph the August 18 court proceedings, said on Tuesday: "Some people were standing at the back of the court with paperweights. That was why I had allowed video-recording of proceedings."
Passed 95 judgments in 2.5 yrs, says judge
A video clip capturing the commotion in the court went viral on social media on August 19; it featured, among other things, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay recalling the summons issued to Anubrata Mandal's daughter and five others within 24 hours of asking cops to ensure their presence in court.
Calcutta High Court Bar Association president Arunava Ghosh did not respond to Tuesday's developments: "I was not present in court when these things were said. I have also heard of it."
Justice Gangopadhyay also responded to the allegations of "selective hearing of matters": "Whenever I see a woman alone in court, I try to hear out her case early so that she does not have to wait the entire day. This happens only when women are in court. And I have the right to choose which case should be heard earlier and which one later. I can do that."
Ghosh and some other lawyers had urged CJ Shrivastava, in an oral mention, to change Gangopadhyay's case roster. The Calcutta HC judge also said he had passed 95 orders in last two-and-a-half years despite the 18-month court closure because of pandemic. "Orders are lying in other (court)rooms. Find out," he said in what was seen as a veiled critique of case pendency.