New Delhi, April 30: A former apex court employee, who levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, decided Tuesday not to participate any more before the in-house inquiry panel.
The employee said in a statement that Tuesday was the third day she had gone to participate before the three-member panel headed by Justice SA Bobde.
“But due to serious concerns and reservations, I am no longer participating in these in-house committee proceedings,” she said in a statement.
The decision about in-house, private hearings by a three-member panel was taken last week by the full court. The three-member panel initially named was also tweaked after her objections. Justice NV Ramana, who was initially named, had withdrawn from the panel after the woman complained that he was a family friend of the Chief Justice and a second woman judge was named.
The panel now comprises Justices SA Bobde, Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee.
The woman said she started participating in the proceedings even though it was an “in-house committee of sitting judges junior to the CJI and not an external committee as I had requested”.
But she alleged that the “atmosphere of the committee was very frightening and I was very nervous because of being confronted and questioned by three Supreme Court Judges and without even the presence of my lawyer/support person”.
She also said there was no audio or video recording of the proceedings as she had requested and she was not given a copy of her statement.
The complainant – a former employee of the top court – had made the allegations against the Chief Justice in an affidavit sent to several judges last week. Chief Justice Gogoi has denied the allegations, saying he is being targeted as he is slated to hear several important cases shortly.
Alleging a conspiracy, he said, “There has to be bigger force behind this, they want to deactivate office of Chief Justice”. The independence of the judiciary is “under threat” and it was being made a “scapegoat” he had said.
