Bombay HC judge who gave controversial verdicts takes oath as its additional judge for 1 year

The Bombay High Court's judgeJustice Pushpa Ganediwala, who had delivered two controversialverdicts in sexual assault cases, on Saturday took oath as thehigh court's additional judge for one more year.

Justice Ganediwala's earlier tenure as an additionaljudge of the Bombay High Court ended on Friday.

Justice Nitin Jamdar, the seniormost judge at theNagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, administered the oathof office to her.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended virtually by theBombay High Court's Chief Justice Dipankar Datta.

Last month, the Supreme Court collegium had withdrawnits approval to a proposal for the appointment JusticeGanediwala as a permanent judge of the court following her twocontroversial verdicts.

The collegium had recommended that she be given afresh term as an additional judge for two years.

However, the government issued a notification onFriday saying she has been given a fresh term as an additionaljudge for one year.

Additional judges are usually appointed for two yearsbefore being elevated as permanent judges.

The decision was taken after the judge faced flak forher interpretation of sexual assault under the Protection ofChildren from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

Justice Ganediwala had recently acquitted a manaccused of groping a 12-year-old girl's breast because he didnot make any ''skin-to-skin contact'' with the minor and daysearlier, ruled that holding the hands of a five-year-old girland unzipping the trousers do not amount to ''sexual assault''under the POCSO Act.

On January 27, the Supreme Court stayed the BombayHigh Court order acquitting the man after Attorney General K KVenugopal said the order would set a dangerous precedent.

The collegium headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde, at ameeting held on January 20, had okayed the proposal for makingJustice Ganediwala a permanent judge.

Besides the CJI, justices N V Ramana and R F Narimanare part of the three-member collegium, which takes decisionswith regard to high court judges.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)