On the morning of April 20, 2019, news organizations, The Wire, Scroll.in, Caravan magazine and the leaflet broke the news of a woman’s complaint to the judges of the Supreme Court alleging sexual harassment by the Chief Justice of India, Mr. Ranjan Gogoi.
The woman is a former junior court assistant who has worked under CJI Ranjan Gogoi and in her affidavit to the Supreme Court Judges has given details of the nature of sexual harassment she has undergone and also substantiated her claims with whatever legitimate proofs she had.
As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, an internal complaints committee should have been set up to inquire the serious nature of allegations against the Chief Justice of India but instead the CJI in an unprecedented move constituted a bench of the Supreme Court to hear the matter and also gave himself the clean chit.
What is being done to the woman is against the principles of natural justice and serious questions have been raised in the manner in which the CJI has exercised his power.
The President of India, Mr. Ram Nath Kovind and the National Commission for Women and its chairperson, Ms. Rekha Sharma should take suo moto cognizance of this issue and hold an impartial and fair inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations against the CJI.
I have also started a petition to demand a fair inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations against the CJI. Please sign this petition to make your voice heard.
Some of the questions which have been raised on the CJI by various women lawyers can be read in this article by The Wire.