The Supreme Court on Monday came down heavily on a High Court judge for giving an interview to a media channel regarding a sub-judice case, stating that judges do not have any business of giving television interviews to news channels on pending matters and if they were doing so, they should not hear the case discussed.
The Bench of Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice P.S. Narasimha took strong objection to the interview given by sitting Calcutta High Court judge Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay to news channel ABP Ananda regarding a case related to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee being heard by him.
The Apex Court directed the Registrar of the Calcutta High Court to personally verify from Justice Ganguly whether he had been interviewed by Suman Dey (Vice-President of ABP Ananda) and accordingly file an affidavit before this court by April 28.
It added that if Justice Gangopadhyay had participated in the interview, he could not hear the school-for-jobs case and the Chief Justice should constitute a different Bench to take up the matter.
It said a judge who gave an opinion on the petitioner during a tv debate should not hear the matter. This was a case involving a political personality and the way the judge handled this matter, could not be the way, noted the Bench.
The top court of the country passed the orders on a petition filed by Banerjee against the High Court order directing a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against AITC leader Abhishek Banerjee for his alleged involvement in the scam related to the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff at government schools.
Banerjee placed a transcript of the judge’s interview before the Apex Court.
Earlier on April 17, the Supreme Court had stayed the Calcutta High Court order against Banerjee, who alleged during a public meeting on March 29 that persons in ED and CBI custody were pressurised into naming him as part of the case.