SC Collegium refuses to elevate Bombay HC judge who gave 'skin-to-skin' verdict
New Delhi, Dec 16: The Supreme Court Collegium is learnt to have declined to recommend the name of Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, additional judge of the Bombay High Court, for appointment as a permanent judge in the backdrop of her controversial skin-to-skin judgement.
The apex court on November 18 had set aside Justice Ganediwala's two judgments passed in January this year, interpreting sexual assault provisions under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The woman judge, who has been serving at Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, had faced widespread criticism after she granted bail to a man accused of groping a minor, saying that there was no skin-to-skin contact and hence, it cannot be termed as sexual assault under the POCSO Act.
The collegium, headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana, also has Justices U U Lalit and A M Khanwilkar, and it met on December 14, sources said.
As per the sources, the decision to not recommend the name of Justice Ganediwala for appointment as a permanent judge was taken in the meeting.
The collegium, however, approved the proposal for the appointment of three other additional judges of the Bombay High Court as permanent judges.
The three additional judges of the Bombay High Court whose names have been approved are justices Madhav Jayajirao Jamdar, Amit Bhalchandra Borkar and Shrikant Dattatray Kulkarni.
The collegium also resolved to recommend that Justice Abhay Ahuja be appointed as additional judge of the Bombay High Court for a fresh term of one year with effect from March 4, 2022.
In another decision, the collegium, on December 14, has approved the proposal for the appointment of additional judge Justice Aniruddha Roy of the Calcutta High Court as a permanent judge of that court.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
