Bombay HC judge who gave controversial verdicts takes oath as its additional judge for 1 year
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court's judge Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, who had delivered two controversial verdicts in sexual assault cases, on Saturday took oath as the high court's additional judge for one more year.
Justice Ganediwala's earlier tenure as an additional judge of the Bombay High Court ended on Friday. Justice Nitin Jamdar, the senior most judge at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, administered the oath of office to her.
The oath-taking ceremony was attended virtually by the Bombay High Court's Chief Justice Dipankar Datta.
Last month, the Supreme Court collegium had withdrawn its approval to a proposal for the appointment Justice Ganediwala as a permanent judge of the court following her two controversial verdicts.
The cllegium had recommended that she be given a fresh term as an additional judge for two years.
However, the government issued a notification on Friday saying she has been given a fresh term as an additional judge for one year. Additional judges are usually appointed for two years before being elevated as permanent judges.
The decision was taken after the judge faced flak for her interpretation of sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
Justice Ganediwala had recently acquitted a man accused of groping a 12-year-old girl's breast because he did not make any "skin-to-skin contact" with the minor and days earlier, ruled that holding the hands of a five-year-old girl and unzipping the trousers do not amount to "sexual assault" under the POCSO Act.
On January 27, the Supreme Court stayed the Bombay High Court order acquitting the man after Attorney General K K Venugopal said the order would set a dangerous precedent.
The collegium headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, at a meeting held on January 20, had okayed the proposal for making Justice Ganediwala a permanent judge.
Besides the CJI, justices N V Ramana and R F Nariman are part of the three-member collegium, which takes decisions with regard to high court judges.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bengaluru: Four arrested for housebreaking, threats, extortion; fake PSI among accused
Bengaluru: Vidyaranyapura police have arrested four persons, including a man posing as a Police Sub-Inspector (PSI), for allegedly breaking into a house, threatening the occupants, and extorting money while wearing police uniforms.
The arrested accused have been identified as Mallikarjuna, Pramod, Vinay, and Hrithik.
Police said the accused had hatched a plan to pose as police personnel, conduct fake raids, and extort money from residents by intimidation.
ALSO READ: Bantwal police arrest two men for illegal sale of narcotics, seize two vehicles, 810 gm ganja
According to the police, Mallikarjuna had failed the PSI examination twice and later falsely projected himself as a PSI. He allegedly conducted photo shoots in his hometown, Siraguppa, wearing a police uniform, baton, cap, and shoes, claiming to be serving as a PSI in Bengaluru.
On December 7, the four accused allegedly went to the house of Naveen in the Vidyaranyapura limits, threatened him with a stick and an iron rod, and claimed they had information that he was selling ganja. Under the pretext of searching, they allegedly extorted ₹87,000 through bank transfer, ₹53,000 in cash kept in the house, and ₹2,000 from his wallet.
Following Naveen’s complaint, Vidyaranyapura police registered a case and launched an operation, leading to the arrest of all four accused. Police have seized ₹45,000 in cash and the car used to commit the crime.
Further investigation is underway.
