West Bengal Teacher Recruitment Scam: Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Reassigns Cases To Justice Amrita Sinha After Supreme Court Order

The notification issued by the High Court on Monday read:

“The Writ Petitions, all application filed in the writ petitions and any further application/s that may be filed including Review Application/s are assigned to Hon’ble Justice Amrita Sinha.”

The Supreme Court on April 28 had directed the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court to reassign the matter to another judge.

The matter was earlier being heard by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay who had directed the CBI and the ED to question TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the case. However, the apex court on April 17 directed a stay on all actions against Banerjee in pursuance of the directions passed by Justice Gangopadhyay. The Supreme Court had taken exception to Justice Gangopadhyay's interview with ABP Ananda wherein he had allegedly spoken against Banerjee.

The court had remarked that "judges have no business granting interviews on matters which are pending," and had sought for clarification as to whether the purported statements were made by the single judge or not. The Registrar General of the High Court was directed to file an affidavit after verifying the matter with the judge.

On the day the apex court directed the high court Chief Justice to reassign the matter, Justice Gangopadhyay directed the Secretary General of the Supreme Court to provide to him by midnight, the transcription copy of the interview, given by him in the media, placed before the Supreme Court. However, in a special sitting on the same day, the Supreme Court, citing ‘judicial discipline’, stayed the order of Justice Gangopadhyay.