A Bombay High Court additional judge, who had delivered two controversial verdicts in sexual assault cases, had her tenure cut short by one year on Friday.
Justice Pushpa Ganediwala faced a lot of flak for her recent verdict where she ruled that groping without “skin-to-skin” contact does not qualify as sexual assault. She had acquitted a man accused of groping a 12-year-old girl's breast because he did not make “skin-to-skin contact”. 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.
Prior to that, she had ruled that holding the hands of a five-year-old girl and unzipping a child’s trousers do not amount to "sexual assault" under the POCSO Act.
Justice Ganediwala was on Friday given a fresh one-year term as an additional judge, instead of two years as recommended by the Supreme Court collegium. Her new tenure will be effective from February 13. Her earlier tenure as an additional judge ended on Friday.
Last month, the Supreme Court collegium had withdrawn its approval to a proposal for her appointment as a permanent judge of the court following her two controversial verdicts
However, the collegium had recommended that she be given a fresh term as an additional judge for two years.
But the government issued a notification on Friday saying she has been given a fresh term as an additional judge for one year.
Instead of asking the collegium to reconsider its recommendation of a fresh two-year term, the government decided to extend the period by only one year, sources pointed out.
Additional judges are usually appointed for two years before being elevated as permanent judges.
(With PTI input)
