Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court, who had ordered CBI probe into alleged irregularities in appointment of teachers and non-teaching staff in government schools in West Bengal, on Monday said “rampant corruption took place”, and, therefore, he had to order probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In an interview to a TV news channel, ABP Ananda, the sitting judge said: “There has been rampant corruption, that’s why I had to order so many CBI investigations. I had never imagined this in my life.”
“When I sat to give justice, I could see corruption… So, I thought who should investigate it. I have enough faith in the police, but they are controlled by different forces. Therefore, I gave it to CBI. I am not saying that CBI is not controlled, but may be less. May be, they will reveal something… At that time, I had to see that I have to take very strict action against corruption.. Aami toh ekhane bosey chup kore thaakbo na (I will not sit here quietly),” he added.
Stating that he is emotional, Justice Gangopadhyay said, “I cannot see tears in the eyes of people… I was also unemployed once. So, I could see the weeping face of the unemployed youth.”
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Justice Gangopadhyay has ordered 10 investigations by the CBI in connection with the school jobs scam.
On remarks made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, against the judiciary, Justice Gangopadhyay said that he is in favour of “strictest action” against anyone “who points a finger at the judiciary, otherwise people will lose faith in the justice system”.
“He (Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee) once commented on the judiciary. I was not in Kolkata then. I was in Ladakh. Sitting there, I thought I will issue a rule against him. I will summon him. I will take action after that. But back in Kolkata, I found that a petition was filed in the Division Bench in this regard, who did not consider it. They thought he would get extra importance. But, I have a different opinion.”
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“Abhishek Banerjee said that a group of judges has BJP’s protection . If I call him to prove it, will he able to prove it? Otherwise, he should be jailed for three months for lying. Later, he may get me killed, but that doesn’t bother me.”
In the backdrop of HC ordering CBI probe, the Trinamool MP said on May 28: “I feel ashamed to say that there are one or two people in the judiciary who are in hand in gloves (with Centre)… and are ordering CBI investigation in every case. ”
— With PTI inputs
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/kolkata/school-jobs-scam-there-was-rampant-corruption-so-i-had-to-order-cbi-probe-says-calcutta-hc-judge-8160923/
