'Ashamed, sorry' for judges' row, says Calcutta HC chief justice

Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam of Calcutta high court said on Tuesday that he was "ashamed and sorry" for "an untoward situation" last week involving two benches and Bengal's advocate general. He promised to "try my level best" to resolve the row, terming it "undesirable in a temple of law" and likely to have "a long-term effect on the public at large".

KOLKATA: Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam of Calcutta high court said on Tuesday that he was "

ashamed

and

sorry

" for "an

untoward situation

" last week involving two benches and Bengal's advocate general. He promised to "try my level best" to resolve the row, terming it "undesirable in a temple of law" and likely to have "a long-term effect on the public at large".
CJ Sivagnanam reassigned a bunch of litigations, transferring all cases and appeals linked to primary education from Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay's court to that of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha.

The former was assigned cases relating to labour and industrial disputes with effect from Jan 31.
Supreme Court took cognisance of the conflict last Friday and set up a five-member bench, led by CJI D Y Chandrachud and including four senior judges, to look into the matter. The next day, SC stayed all high court proceedings in the alleged caste-certificate fraud in MBBS admissions - the root of the row - and decided to take over the case.
CJI Chandrachud indicated on Monday that there might be a change in the HC roster, but left it to CJ Sivagnanam to decide what should be done. "Let us not take away the powers of the CJ (of Calcutta HC) or arrogate ourselves with the powers conferred on him. I am sure the CJ is taking stock of everything."

Justice Gangopadhyay and a division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Uday Kumar had been sparring over a CBI probe into the caste-certificate fraud, with the latter staying the former's clearance to the agency thrice in two days.
Lawyers and litigants were witnesses to political insinuations and personal jibes being hurled in the courtrooms, including advocate general Kishore Datta telling Justice Gangopadhyay that he was in line for a BJP ticket to contest the LS polls. Justice Gangopadhyay, on the other hand, accused Justices Sen and Kumar of being guided by "personal interest".

Justice Sen responded to Justice Gangopadhyay's allegation for the first time on Tuesday, saying, "Enough is enough. This court has been insulted. Everyone has the right to speak to the media. But the right of judges is limited to passing orders. We do not have attachment to any particular case."
Justice Sen recused himself from the only education-related case he was slated to hear and interrupted advocate and Trinamool MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay when the latter requested him to "just say something to Justice Gangopadhyay".
"Please say no more. I have nothing to say against anyone. I respect everyone. I do not have this habit (of accusing anyone)," he said.