New Delhi, May 7: The woman, who accused Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment, on Tuesday sought a copy of the report of the Supreme Court's in-house panel that exonerated the CJI of charges. In a statement, the complainant said under the current laws on sexual harassment at the workplace, she was entitled to a copy of the report.
"I have a right to know how, why and on what basis have your Lordships found my complaint to have ‘no substance’,” she wrote in her letter to the in-house committee. "Not providing a copy to the complainant while holding her complaint to be unfounded would be a violation of the principles of natural justice and a complete travesty of justice," her statement read. Ranjan Gogoi Sexual Harassment Case: 'Disappointed, Dejected', Says Complainant After SC In-House Panel Clears CJI.
Accusing the panel, comprises Justice SA Bobde, Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Indu Malhotra, of not following the most basic principles of natural justice, the woman said she was not informed about the entire procedure, compelling her to withdraw from the inquiry. The committee on Monday said it found nothing substantial in the allegations.
"From the beginning, I have been treated as an outsider, I have not been informed of the procedure, I have not been informed of my basic rights and obligations with regard to the inquiry proceedings," said the complainant. On April 30, she had said that she would no longer appear before the in-house panel set up by the apex court to probe her charges as she felt that she was "not likely to get justice".
The in-house panel was formed after the woman, who is a former Supreme Court employee, on April 19 levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice Gogoi, reportedly in a letter addressed to 22 judges of the Supreme Court. When the allegations of sexual harassment first surfaced on April 20, the CJI held an urgent hearing and he categorically denied the woman's allegations.
Justice Gogoi 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. On Monday, the committee gave a clean chit to Justice Gogoi. "The in-house committee has found no substance in the allegations contained in the complaint dated April 19, 2019, of a former employee of the Supreme Court of India," the apex court said in a statement.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2019 08:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).