Justice Pushpa Ganediwala Denied Promotion, The ‘Skin-To-Skin’ Ruling Judge Resigns Two Days Before Tenure Ends

There are so many judges that we just can’t forget because of one of the two reasons – either they have made a positive difference or they have stirred up controversies that are hard to forget. Justice Pushpa Ganediwala comes in the latter category. She is the infamous judge who came to the limelight for two controversial verdicts that had her facing backlash from many. Yep, she is the judge who gave the ‘No skin-to-skin contact’ order. The very same Justice Pushpa Ganediwala after being denied promotion resigns two days before her tenure ends.

Justice Pushpa Ganediwala of the Bombay High Court (HC) resigned from her office on Thursday, February 10th, 2022. Her resignation came merely 2 days before her tenure ends on February 12th, 2022.

Also Read: India’s Attorney General Says Verdict Requiring Skin-To-Skin Contact In POCSO Case Acquits Abusers With Gloves

Back in January 2021, the Supreme Court of India collegium withdrew the proposal that said to appoint additional judge Justice Pushpa Ganediwala as a permanent judge of the Bombay HC. The withdrawal of the proposal came after her two controversial verdicts on sexual harassment cases.

Reports suggest, that rather than appointing Justice Pushpa Ganediwala as a permanent judge, she was given a fresh term as an additional judge at the Bombay HC for one year. After which, she would be sent back to the district judiciary.

Also Read: Woman Sends Condoms To Justice Ganediwala To Protest Against Her Controversial ‘Skin To Skin’ Ruling

This decision was taken after Justice Pushpa Ganediwala gave two controversial verdicts on sexual harassment cases. One of them was when the judge ruled that an act of pressing the breast of a 12-yr-old without removing her top will not come under the definition of ‘sexual assault’ under Section 7 of the POCSO Act. And the other case was when the judge ruled that holding hands of a 5-yr-old girl while unzipping the trousers does not amount to an offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act. Needless to say, both these verdicts were overturned by the Supreme Court.

Honestly, after her controversial verdicts I don’t sympathise with her for not getting a promotion. In fact, I am kinda glad that the Supreme Court made a rather good decision by not making her a permanent judge of Bombay HC.

Skin-To-Skin Contact Isn’t Needed For POCSO To Be Effective: Supreme Court Overrules Bhc Judgement

First Published: February 11, 2022 1:44 PM