New Delhi: The Calcutta high court judge who ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the alleged irregularities in the appointment of teachers and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government schools said that his decision was prompted by “rampant corruption” which he could not ignore.In an interview with Bangla TV news channel ABP Ananda, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay said: “There has been rampant corruption, that’s why I had to order so many CBI investigations. I had never imagined this in my life.”“When I sat to give justice, I could see corruption… So, I thought who should investigate it. I have enough faith in the police, but they are controlled by different forces. Therefore, I gave it to CBI. I am not saying that CBI is not controlled, but may be less. May be, they will reveal something… At that time, I had to see that I have to take very strict action against corruption.. Aami toh ekhane bosey chup kore thaakbo na (I will not sit here quietly),” the sitting judge said, according to a translation provided by the Indian Express.Former minister Partha Chatterjee has been arrested as part of the probe ordered by Justice Gangopadhyay. The Trinamool Congress expelled its top leader after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate, which is tracking the money trail in the alleged scam.Justice Gangopadhdyay, who was elevated as a judge of the Calcutta HC in May 2018, has ordered 10 investigations by the CBI in connection with the school jobs scam.In the interview, he said he wants to be remembered for some judgments. “I want to pass a few judgements which, long after when I will not be there, will come up before a researcher that there was a judge who did these,” he said.Lamenting that “corruption has become a way of life”, he said that it is also being accepted by people.The judge said after finding that there was a delay in the CBI probe into the alleged scam, he had made caustic remarks against the agency also as he was “not seeing light at the end of the tunnel”.Justice Gangopadhyay said he had ordered the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI to probe the cases on the suggestion of former joint director of the agency Upen Biswas, who had led the investigation into the fodder scam cases in Bihar.Remembering his time in the state civil service, Justice Gangopadhyay said that he had not bowed down to pressure during that time and left the job to take up teaching law and thereafter started practising in the Calcutta HC.The judge, who represented the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) as a lawyer for 10 years, said that it used to be a very good institution.The alleged irregularities occurred in the appointments given by the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education on recommendations by the SSC. “The experience has helped me a lot and I can get to the depth of cases related to Education Law at the outset,” he said.Speaking about comments made by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee that some judges are “hand in glove” with the Union government, the Calcutta HC judge said he is in favour of “strictest action” against anyone “who points a finger at the judiciary, otherwise people will lose faith in the justice system”.“He (Banerjee) once commented on the judiciary. I was not in Kolkata then. I was in Ladakh. Sitting there, I thought I will issue a rule against him. I will summon him. I will take action after that. But back in Kolkata, I found that a petition was filed in the Division Bench in this regard, which did not consider it. They thought he would get extra importance. But, I have a different opinion,” the judge said, according to the Indian Express.Banerjee should prove his claim that a group of judges are under the BJP’s protection, Justice Gangopadhyay said, adding that if the TMC MP cannot do so, he “should be jailed for three months for lying”. The judge added, “Later, he may get me killed, but that doesn’t bother me.”Banerjee had said in May, after the HC ordered a CBI probe into the alleged scam: “I feel ashamed to say that there are one or two people in the judiciary who are in hand in gloves (with Centre)… and are ordering CBI investigation in every case. ”When asked how, during the hearing, he mentioned Partha Chatterjee owning an apartment to keep his dogs – a fact that came to the light only after the ED arrested him – Justice Gangopadhyay said, “I have my friends in Naktala. I knew it from them. We can exercise public knowledge.”He, however, did not rule out entering active politics after retirement. “I have not decided yet. Anyone can join politics. I cannot rule it out now. Only time can tell. It does not have to be partisan politics. I can speak standing on a stool on a street,” he said.Other quotes from the interview include:“Sometimes terror works exceptionally well and yields positive results. I know, I have created some terror in the minds of some educational officers and teachers. They know. They work well now.”“The message I want to send is that if the judiciary suddenly decides to be very tough, the corrupt will have a tough time.”“If action is taken against me for this interview, for doing harm to the judicial system, I will have no regret. I will suffer. But I am not worried at all.”(With PTI inputs)