The Calcutta High Court has reassigned education-related cases from Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s bench to Justice Rajasekhar Mantha. This follows discord between Justice Gangopadhyay’s bench and a division bench, prompting Chief Justice Sivagnanam to express unease. The move also addresses controversy surrounding Justice Mantha’s bench and reflects the complexity of judicial administration in India.
On Tuesday, Calcutta High Court, all cases pertaining to education, previously overseen by the single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, have been reassigned. This reassignment, as per the latest roster from Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam’s office, places these educational matters under the jurisdiction of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha’s single-judge bench.
This move comes in the wake of a discernible unease expressed by Justice Sivagnanam regarding the ongoing discord between Justice Gangopadhyay’s bench and a division bench led by Justice Soumen Sen. The Chief Justice conveyed his disappointment and embarrassment over the evolving situation, expressing a hope for a return to normalcy soon. The revised roster, however, does not specify the reasons for this significant reshuffling of responsibilities.
Justice Gangopadhyay’s bench will now handle cases related to industry and labor laws. This reorganization follows a period of controversy surrounding Justice Mantha, who made national headlines last year. This attention was due to a boycott of his bench by advocates linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress, a situation that persisted for several days. During this period, Justice Mantha’s South Kolkata residence was targeted with defamatory posters, leading to a police investigation that has yet to result in any arrests.
Furthermore, educational cases have also been removed from the division bench headed by Justice Sen. Notably, Justice Sen, who was handling a specific case concerning irregularities among higher secondary teachers, chose to recuse himself from this matter on Tuesday.
The reassignment of these cases comes amidst a backdrop of heightened scrutiny and debate. At a Supreme Court hearing, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal questioned the future conduct of judicial proceedings, asking,
“the judge continues to take these matters now, in future he will do the same thing. What should be done?”
In response, CJI DY Chandrachud urged counsels to avoid casting aspersions on a sitting High Court judge, emphasizing that case assignments are the prerogative of the High Court’s Chief Justice:
“it is the Chief Justice of the High Court who is assigning cases, let’s not arrogate his powers.”
This development in the Calcutta High Court marks a significant turn in the management of education-related legal matters, reflecting the dynamic and often complex nature of judicial administration in India.