Justice Pushpa Ganediwala of Bombay HC, who faced flak over controversial judgments, resigns
Mumbai (PTI): Bombay High Court judge Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, who faced flak over a series of judgments that was deemed as controversial for the interpretation of what constitutes as 'sexual assault' under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, has resigned.
Justice Ganediwala, who presently presides at the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, tendered her resignation on Thursday, a day before her tenure as additional judge was to end as she was neither given extension nor elevation by the Supreme Court collegium, official sources in the high court said.
After her problematic judgments given in January and February 2021, the apex court collegium had withdrawn its recommendation to appoint Justice Ganediwala as a permanent judge and instead extended for one year her tenure as additional judge. The tenure ends on Friday.
This meant that Justice Ganediwala would be demoted back to district judiciary as district sessions judge at the end of her additional judgeship on February 12, 2022.
With neither an extension granted to her tenure as additional judge nor an appointment as permanent judge of the high court, Justice Ganediwala tendered her resignation.
Official sources said her resignation has been accepted.
Justice Ganediwala had come under the scanner for a slew of judgments passed in January and February 2021, which ruled that there has to be 'skin-to-skin contact with sexual intent' in order for the act to be considered as an offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act and that 'holding hands of a minor girl and opening of zip of his pants' does not fall under the definition of 'sexual assault' under the Act.
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Former minister C M Ibrahim announces to launch new regional party for Karnataka
Kalaburagi: Two years after being expelled from the Janata Dal (Secular), former minister C.M. Ibrahim has announced that he will launch a new regional political party in Karnataka on January 24, reported Deccan Herald.
Speaking at a meeting organised by the Nava Karnataka Nirmana Andolana in Kalaburagi on Sunday, Ibrahim confirmed the birth of the new party.
The 77-year-old politician stated he would soon be meeting with other like-minded individuals to choose a symbol for the party.
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Ibrahim emphasised that the organisation would be guided by the principles of 12th-century social reformer Basavanna and the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar.
A veteran politician, Ibrahim served as Union Civil Aviation Minister during the tenure of H.D. Deve Gowda as Prime Minister and later headed the Karnataka unit of the Janata Dal (Secular). He was expelled from the JD(S) in 2023 on charges of anti-party activities.
His exit from the party followed sharp differences over the JD(S) decision to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). As the then state president of the JD(S), Ibrahim had publicly criticised the alliance, claiming it was finalised without his knowledge. He had also reportedly convened meetings of his supporters and expressed support for the INDIA bloc.
