Tying hands of single judge: Calcutta HC’s Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay seeks CJI’s intervention – India Today

In an unprecedented order, a Calcutta High Court judge has sought the Chief Justice of India’s intervention after all single-judge bench orders in teaching and non-teaching staff recruitment scam were stayed by the division bench.

The single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had directed the CBI to probe alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers and non-teaching staff in government schools in West Bengal. The high court’s division bench led by Justice Harish Tandon granted an interim stay on the order.

In light of this, Justice Gangopadhyay has sought the CJI’s intervention and also issued an administrative order in which he questions how the division bench stayed the CBI probe order in the last four cases.

In his administrative order, Gangopadhyay mentioned that during a recent virtual hearing, an advocate is on record saying “we have spoken, stay will be done”. He has sent a recording of the virtual hearing to the Supreme Court.

Justice Gangopadhyay stated in his order, “My observation made in the order dated 25.03.2022 has been declared by the said appeal bench as tentative. How this declaration was made and why is not known. There is no reason. Thus, this court’s observation has been diluted.”

He further said, “I also do not understand who would be benefited by tying the hands of the single-judge bench.”