Apex court sets up committe to probe a law graduate's charges of sexual harassment against a retired judge.
Taking note of a sexual assault allegation against one of its recently retired judges, the Supreme Court on Tuesday constituted a three-judge committee to probe the charges leveled by a girl who interned with him last year.
Chief justice of India P Sathasivam formed the committee after attorney general GE Vahanvati mentioned the case, referring to it as an “extremely serious matter”.
“In cases of sexual harassment, we cannot take it lightly,” the CJI said while announcing the setting up of the committee comprising justices RM Lodha, HL Dattu and Ranjana Prakash Desai.
“The committee will go into the whole affair and find out the facts and prepare the report and, from today evening, it is going to start its work,” the CJI said.
“First, the committee will find out the correctness of the statement,” justice Sathasivam said, observing that there were records about interns or advocates who are associated with judges. Entries are made about persons coming to the Supreme Court and the committee will go into it, he said.
“As the head of the institution, I am also concerned about the allegation,” the CJI said, adding, “I am anxious about whether the statement is true or not.”
Justice Sathasivam said that guidelines to deal with and curb sexual harassment on the apex court premises have been framed and notified in the gazette.
The Supreme Court Sexual Harassment Committee has not yet seen the induction of members. A communication has been sent to the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Law Clerks Association to select them, but they have not yet replied. A deadline of November 30 has been set for them to nominate members, the CJI said.
The apex court was struck by the allegation after a young woman intern accused a former sitting judge of misbehaving with her in a hotel room last December, when Delhi was reeling under the brutal gang rape of a 23-year-old student.
“I think it is largely a positive step, or the best possible one at least, especially when the law intern hasn’t decided to lodge any other sort of complaint,” Animesh Sharma, a lawyer working in the Punjab and Haryana high court, told dna.
“Until the matter is rigorously investigated, it is difficult to say anything. However, while I am appalled to hear of this incident. I am a little confused as to why she did not bring it up earlier. She said she did not want to damage his reputation. However, if what she said is true, he doesn’t deserve any honour or prestige in retirement,” Priyanka Sharma, a Cardiff University student, said.
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