AK Ganguly yet to take a call on stepping down as Bengal human rights panel chief

Former Supreme Court Judge AK Ganguly, who faces charges of sexually harassing a law intern, today said he is yet to take a decision on resigning as chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission.

He, however, declined to comment on his telephonic conversation with former attorney general Soli Sorabjee.

Sorabjee yesterday said that Justice Ganguly had called him over telephone and told that he had been thinking of resigning as chairman of West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC).

"I have read about it in newspapers. I don't want to make any comment on it," Justice Ganguly told PTI.

When inquired whether he has been contemplating resignation, Ganguly said, "I have not decided anything." Justice Ganguly's talks with Sorabjee came close on the heels of Union Cabinet approving a proposal for sending a Presidential reference to the Supreme Court on the issue, which was seen as a step towards his removal as WBHRC chairman.

A three-judge Supreme Court panel had indicted Justice Ganguly by holding that the statement of the intern, both written and oral, had prima facie disclosed "an act of unwelcome behaviour (unwelcome verbal/non-verbal conduct of sexual nature)" by the judge with her in the Le Meridien hotel room on December 24 last year.

Justice Ganguly denied the allegations of the law intern and blamed "powerful interests" of trying to tarnish his image due to certain judgements delivered by him.