Jahanvi Agarwal
Approximately 250 lawyers, including members of various Bar Associations, have jointly penned a letter addressed to Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam of the Calcutta High Court, expressing concerns over Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s alleged use of “demeaning and defamatory comments” against state Advocate General Kishore Dutta during a recent hearing.
The reported incident unfolded on January 25 during a case related to the alleged MBBS recruitment scam. Justice Gangopadhyay, despite a conflicting ruling by a division bench led by Justice Soumen Sen, ordered a CBI investigation into “irregularities” and, in his subsequent order, leveled serious charges against Justice Sen.
Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud promptly constituted a bench, including himself and the four senior-most judges, to stay further proceedings at the Calcutta High Court regarding this matter. The lawyer’s letter brought attention to the incident, stating, “When Justice Gangopadhyay was apprised of the order dated January 24 of the division bench, he became incensed and made extremely uncharitable, demeaning and defamatory comments about the Advocate General (Kishore Dutta).”
The lawyers asserted that Justice Gangopadhyay’s comments were unprovoked and unwarranted, transgressing decorum by casting aspersions on the Advocate General’s character, moral fiber, and integrity.
They appealed for immediate steps to redeem the court’s honor and dignity, urging Chief Justice Sivagnanam to seek an apology from Justice Gangopadhyay. The letter emphasized the importance of maintaining the longstanding tradition of cordiality between the bar and the bench to uphold the High Court’s esteemed reputation.