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sexual assault
Law intern names SC ex-judge AK Ganguly
Legal Correspondent

Allegations shocking: Ganguly Justice AK Ganguly (pic), who now heads the West Bengal human rights panel, has denied the woman lawyer’s allegations. Ganguly said he was shocked and shattered by her statement. “I am denying everything. I have told the committee that all allegations levelled by the intern are wrong,” he said. Panel submits report A three-member panel of SC judges has recorded the statement of Justice Ganguly in the light of the allegations made by the woman lawyer The panel submitted its report to Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam on Friday after holding seven meetings The judges on the panel and the CJI were tight-lipped about the contents of the report Sources said the CJI would decide on further course of action in the matter after consulting the panel of judges

New Delhi, November 29
It became clear today that the young woman lawyer, who alleged that a recently retired Supreme Court judge had sexually assaulted her at a five-star hotel room in the Capital on the eve of 2012 Christmas, has named Justice AK Ganguly as the perpetrator.

Elevated to the apex court on December 17, 2008, Justice Ganguly had retired on February 3, 2012, more than 10 months before the alleged incident.

A Supreme Court official today confirmed that the three-member panel of SC judges, headed by Justice RM Lodha, had recorded the statement of Justice Ganguly in the light of allegations made by the woman lawyer.

The panel, which included Justices HL Dattu and Ranjana Desai, submitted its report to Chief Justice P Sathasivam yesterday after holding seven meetings, Deputy Registrar Rakesh Sharma said.

The judges on the panel and the Chief Justice were tight-lipped about the contents of the report.

A brief statement read out by Sharma said: The committee constituted to inquire into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by the law intern against a former SC judge held its meetings on November 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 26 and 27. The statement of the law intern was recorded. She has also submitted three affidavits. The statement of Justice AK Ganguly has also been recorded. The committee has submitted its report to the Chief Justice on November 28, 2013.”

Sources said the CJI would decide on further course of action in the matter after consulting the panel of judges.

On November 6, the victim had posted on a blog that she had been assaulted by “a highly reputed, recently retired Supreme Court judge whom I was working under during my penultimate semester” when she approached him for some assistance. “For my supposed diligence, I was rewarded with sexual assault (not physically injurious, but nevertheless violating) from a man old enough to be my grandfather. I won’t go into the gory details, suffice it to say that long after I’d left the room, the memory remained, in fact, still remains, with me,” she had written without identifying him.

A Bench headed by CJI Sathasivam set up the judges’ panel on November 12 after Attorney General GE Vahanvati had brought the contents of the blog to its notice. “We are also anxious to know whether the allegation is true or not,” the Bench, which included Justices Ranjan Gogoi and Shiva Kirti Singh, told the AG.