All About Abhijit Gangopadhyay: Judge Who Rocked Bengal With Teacher Scam Verdict Set To Join BJP

In February this year, the Supreme Court linked Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee’s petition to take action against Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay for his alleged “continuous politically motivated interviews”.

New Delhi: Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, a Calcutta High Court Judge who had made headlines with his rulings on various issues on Tuesday announced that he will the BJP on 7th March. The Calcutta HC Justice quit his post earlier today. He had declared on Monday that he would resign from his position, saying that his conscience told him that his role in this duty was over. Justice Gangopadhyay submitted his resignation letter to President Droupadi Murmu, with copies to CJI DY Chandrachud and the Chief Justice of the Calcutta HC TS Sivagnanam, sources told PTI.

He arrived at his chamber at the high court in the morning, and then sent the resignation letter. He is expected to speak to the media in the afternoon, where he may reveal his next move, amid rumours that he will enter politics.

#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal | Former Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay says, "Maybe on 7th (March) in the afternoon. There is a tentative program, when I will join BJP." pic.twitter.com/IoMosl7PVJ — ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2024

Talking to ANI on Monday, Gangopadhyay said, "I am resigning from the post of a judge in High Court Calcutta. For the last two or more years, I have handled some matters, especially education matters, in which I have exposed and unearthed massive corruption.

Many influential people in the education sector of this government are now in jail, facing trial. After that, I started taking labour matters. There are also huge frauds by employers regarding provident fund gratuity, etc. I have also issued some orders in those matters. But while doing these labour matters, labour laws, I felt that my job in this duty was done. This is the voice of my conscience," he told ANI.

“Now I should go to the larger people, larger area,” he added. The Calcutta High Court Judge also noted that in court, a judge deals with the matters that are brought to him by someone who files a case. But in our country and also in our state, West Bengal, there are many helpless people who I have seen who cannot come to the court.

Also, suggesting that he might join politics, Justice Gangopadhyay said “So I have thought that only the political field can give people who want to work for those helpless people an opportunity to act for them.” However, when asked about joining any political party, he said that he had not made up his mind yet.

Earlier in February, the Supreme Court linked Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee’s petition to take action against Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay for his alleged “continuous politically motivated interviews” related to sub-judice cases.

Comes From Family of lawyers

Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay was born in Kolkata on August 20, 1962 into a family of lawyers. He pursued his early education at Mitra Institution, a Bengali-medium school in Kolkata, completing his schooling in 1979. He then went on to study law at Hazra Law College, Kolkata, where he also developed a passion for Bengali theatre, actively participating in productions with the theatre group “Amitra Chanda” until 1986.

A Brief Stint In Civil Service

He began his professional journey as a West Bengal Civil Service officer in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal, but soon moved back to Kolkata and transitioned to practising law in the Calcutta High Court. He was appointed as an additional judge by the High Court on May 2, 2018 and was subsequently confirmed as a permanent judge on July 30, 2020.

A Crusader Against Corruption

The 61-year-old judge at the Calcutta High Court is most popularly known for ordering multiple investigations by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into numerous cases related to the West Bengal teachers’ recruitment scam. He issued directives for filing of FIRs and midnight interrogations of the accused, including ministers and education board chairpersons.

He also faced controversies for openly criticising the CBI, engaging in disputes with lawyers, and making several politically charged statements against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He once called West Bengal under the TMC an “empire of thieves” and said that he would never join the party.