Pushpa Ganediwala, Judge Behind Controversial POCSO Rulings, Gets A Year Tenure Extension

Judge behind controversial POCSO verdicts, Pushpa Ganediwala gets extension, but only for one year: Bombay High Court additional judge, Justice Pushpa Ganediwala, on Friday received a fresh one-year extended tenure. Ganediwala will now continue as an additional judge for one more year, from February 13.

Accepting the revised recommendation made by the SC Collegium to not make Justice Pushpa V Ganediwala of the #BombayHighCourt a permanent judge,the Ministry of Law and Justice has extended her term as an additional judge
Read more: https://t.co/hf6hXY977D#JusticePushpaGanediwala pic.twitter.com/8H7PxAoSW5

— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) February 12, 2021

The extension comes just a day before her two-year tenure was about to end. This decision comes following the controversial verdicts she passed in January related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act that led to public outrage.

Last month, the Supreme Court collegium had withdrawn its consent to make Justice Ganediwala permanent as an additional judge at the Bombay High Court.

Ganediwala's tenure was extended by a period of only one year instead of two, as recommended by the SC collegium. All additional judges get two years at the office before being elevated as permanent judges.

“In exercise of power conferred by clause (1) of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Smt Pushpa Virendra Ganediwala, to be an additional judge of the Bombay High Court for a period of one year with effect from 13 February 2021,” the warrant of appointment stated.

The judge of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay HC delivered back to back controversial judgments under POCSO Act for crimes against children. She ruled that groping over the clothes without actual “skin to skin contact” will not amount to sexual assault or holding the hand of a minor and opening pants zip is not sexual assault as per the POCSO Act. The SC then withdrew its consent to make her a permanent judge at the end of January, following outrage on social media. Read about Justice Pushpa Ganediwala

Ganediwala assumed office as an additional judge at the Bombay HC in 2019.

Feature Image Credit: TOI