‘Skin to Skin’ verdict Judge gets extension

In another judgment, while acquitting a 50-year-old man, who had allegedly assaulted a minor girl, Justice Ganediwala held that mere holding of the victim’s hand and unzipping of trouser won't constitute sexual assault.

Likewise, the Judge let off a 22-year-old boy convicted for raping a 16-year-old girl on the promise of marriage. The judge reasoned that the girl did not specify how she and the boy got moments of privacy? How did the boy's family permit them to sleep together? Etc.The collegium headed by CJI Sharad Bobade had on January 20 recommended Justice Ganediwala's name as a permanent judge of the HC; however, it withdrew the recommendation made to the Union government subsequent to the reportage.

Had the government not extended her tenure by a year on Friday, it could have created an unprecedented situation. "If she had stepped down today, then this would have been unprecedented," said a former senior-most judge of the Bombay HC, who didn't wished to be named. According to him, usually the government extends the tenure, or the judge is made permanent. "But an individual leaves the post only if he/she has crossed the retirement age," the judge added.