CJI Ranjan Gogoi Gets Clean Chit in Sexual Harassment Case by Supreme Court's In-House Panel
The in-house panel was formed after a woman levelled allegations against CJI Ranjan Gogoi reportedly in a letter to 22 judges of the Supreme Court.
New Delhi, May 6: The in-house committee led by Justice S A Bobde on Monday gave a clean chit to Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in a sexual harassment case. The committee, also comprises Justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee, said it found no substance in the sexual harassment allegations against CJI Ranjan Gogoi. The Chief Justice appeared before the panel on May 1.
A woman, who is a former employee of the Supreme Court, levelled allegations against CJI Ranjan Gogoi reportedly in a letter to 22 judges of the apex court, after which an in-house committee was formed to probe the charges. The woman withdrew from the proceedings of the committee on April 30. In a statement to the media, she expressed serious reservations over the panel, saying it was "an in-house committee of sitting judges junior to the CJI and not an external committee as I had requested."
The woman said she felt "quite intimidated and nervous" in the presence of the three judges of the Supreme Court. The woman, in her statement to the media also said during the panel's hearing on April 26, the judges told her that it was neither an in-house committee proceeding nor a proceeding under the Vishakha Guidelines and that it was an informal proceeding.
"I was asked to narrate my account which I did to the best of my ability even though I felt quite intimidated and nervous in the presence of three Hon'ble Judges of the Supreme Court and without having a lawyer or support person with me," said her statement. CJI Ranjan Gogoi Sexual Harassment Allegations: Supreme Court Appoints Retired Justice AK Patnaik to Head Inquiry Into Lawyers' Conspiracy Claim.
After the allegations of sexual harassment surfaced on April 20, the Chief Justice also held an urgent hearing and he categorically denied the woman's allegations. The CJI termed it as an attack on the independence of the judiciary. "There has to be bigger force behind this, they want to deactivate office of Chief Justice," he had said during the hearing.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 06, 2019 05:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).