new Delhi: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a former Supreme Court employee, on Wednesday appeared before the in-house inquiry panel led by Justice SA Bobde and rebutted all allegations against him.
Gogoi appeared for questioning a day after the complainant withdrew herself from the panel, saying that she felt she was unlikely to get any justice there. In the three hearings until Tuesday, the woman had said she felt intimidated as she had to appear alone and even her lawyer was not allowed to be a part of the proceedings.
After the complainant’s withdrawal, the court’s committee decided to proceed ex-parte and conclude its inquiry. It is expected to soon submit its report. The panel also comprises two women judges -- Jutsice Indira Banerjee and Justice Indu Malhotra.
The woman's allegations against the CJI were brought into the public domain by four web portals on April 20. She had worked at Gogoi's home office in Delhi and the allegations were carried by the news portals based on her affidavit sent to 22 judges of the top court.
In her affidavit, the woman described two incidents of alleged harassment in October last year, days after Gogoi was appointed CJI, and her subsequent persecution.
The woman alleged that she was removed from service after she rebuffed his "sexual advances". She claimed that her husband and brother-in-law, both of whom were head constables, were suspended for a 2012 criminal case that had been mutually resolved.
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