Abhijit Gangopadhyay is an Indian politician and former judge, who was appointed as a permanent judge of the Calcutta High Court in 2020. In March 2024, he hit the headlines as he resigned from the position of permanent judge of the Calcutta High Court.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Abhijit Gangopadhyay was born on Sunday, 19 August 1962 (age 62 years; as of 2024) in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. His zodiac sign is Leo. He completed his schooling at Mitra Institution (Main) in Kolkata in 1979. He did law at Hazra Law College in Kolkata. [1]The Print
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 9″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family
Parents & Siblings
His father was a lawyer.
Wife
He is married.
Career
After beginning his career as an A-grade officer of the West Bengal Civil Service (WBCS), he was initially posted in North Dinajpur. Later, he resigned from this position to study law. [2]ABP Live He worked as a State Advocate in the Calcutta High Court before being appointed to the bench. On 2 May 2018, he was appointed as an additional judge in the Calcutta High Court and was elevated to a permanent judge on 30 July 2020. He resigned as the judge of Calcutta High Court on 5 March 2024 to enter politics by joining the Bharatiya Janata Party. [3]The Times of India
Notable Judgements
West Bengal School Service Recruitment Scam
Judge Abhijit has given a series of directives to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) since November 2021 to investigate the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) for purported irregularities in the recruitment process. [4]The Indian Express He issued several decisions against School Service Commission personnel, which caused political unrest in West Bengal and at the Calcutta High Court. [5]Zee News [6]The Telegraph In a letter, Gangopadhyay requested the Chief Justice of India to intervene in relation to the Division Bench’s decision in the cases involving purported anomalies at the School Service Commission. [7]The Times of India [8]India Today
Abhijit Gangopadhyay while interacting with the media
The Bar Association of Calcutta High Court published a resolution on 13 April 2022, calling for a boycott of the Court of Gangopadhyay. [9]The Times of India In response to protests outside his courtroom by the All India Trinamool Congress law cell, the then-governor Jagdeep Dhankhar issued a letter to the West Bengal chief minister about the matter. [10]Bar and Bench To look into an alleged teacher recruitment scam, Gangopadhyay ordered former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee to appear before the CBI on 18 May 2022. [11]The Indian Express In May 2022, he requested that Paresh Chandra Adhikary, the Minister of State in the Department of School Education, appear before the CBI about his suspected involvement in the illegitimate appointment of his daughter Ankita Adhikary. [12]The Free Press Journal [13]News18 Judge Gangopadhyay gave the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) instructions in September 2022 to replace school teachers who were appointed illegally with qualified applicants from the waiting list. [14]Siasat He gave the West Bengal School Service Commission orders to release the names of the 907 fraudulently appointed XI–XII school teachers in July 2023.
Controversy
In response to Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s alleged use of ‘demeaning and defamatory comments’ against state Advocate General Kishore Dutta during a case hearing in 2024, over 250 attorneys, including members of bar groups, wrote a letter to Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam of the Calcutta High Court. The alleged dispute took place on 25 January 2024 when the CBI was ordered by Justice Gangopadhyay to look into ‘irregularities’ during a hearing on a case involving an alleged scam involving MBBS recruitment, notwithstanding a division bench led by Justice Soumen Sen’s decision to the contrary. [15]The Indian Express
#JustIn: More than 250 advocates have written a letter to Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court highlighting the manner in which Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay "humiliated" State's Advocate General Kishore Datta.
The lawyers have sought an apology from Justice Gangopadhyay.… pic.twitter.com/l1j2Ln9rV6
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) January 30, 2024
Facts/Trivia
- In college, he used to participate in Bengali theatrical productions. He was also a part of the theatre group ‘Amitra Chanda.’ In 1986, he made his last appearance in a theatre play. [16]Ananda Bazar
- In March 2024, after announcing his resignation from the post of Calcutta High Court judge, he decided to join politics. [17]India Today
References
