What to Watch Out ForJustice SA Bobde to conduct inquiry into allegation of sexual harassment against CJI Ranjan Gogoi
The senior-most judge of the Supreme Court after Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justice SA Bobde, was on Tuesday appointed to conduct an in-house inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against the CJI.
The panel, which also consists of Justice NV Ramana and Justice Indira Banerjee, will conduct an internal inquiry into the sexual harassment allegations leveled against the CJI.
Last week, a former junior court assistant sent written complaints to 22 judges alleging that she had been sexually harassed by Ranjan Gogoi.Lawyer who claimed CJI framed in sexual harassment case called for personal appearance: Meanwhile, the Special Bench led by Justice Mishra decided to examine an affidavit filed a Supreme Court advocate, Utsav Singh Bains, with information that there was a larger conspiracy afoot to frame the CJI in a false case. The SC has directed Bains for personal appearance on Wednesday to corroborate his contentions that there is a conspiracy to frame CJI Ranjan Gogoi in a sexual harassment case.
Bains, in his affidavit filed on April 22, said he was approached by a man who identified himself to be a relative of the former apex court employee. This man, Bains, claimed had offered him up to Rs 1.5 crore to file the false case. The person, however, had turned evasive when asked by Bains to be specific about his relationship with the woman. The lawyer said he had reliable information that a larger plot was up against the CJI in which “fixers" involved in a “cash-for-judgment racket" were involved.Recent Developments: Justice Bodge confirmed that the procedure will not be a formal judicial proceeding. “This is going to be an in-house procedure which does not contemplate representation of advocate on behalf of parties," he said. He further clarified that there will be no stipulated time frame of the inquiry and all will depend on what comes of it, which will be “confidential".
The first hearing will be conducted on Friday and the apex court secretary general has also been asked to be ready with all documents and materials.A ‘special’ hearing: The top court had on Saturday, convened an unprecedented hearing following news of the sexual harassment complaint. The hearing was presided over by the CJP Ranjan Gogoi himself, who dismissed all claims saying that there was a “bigger force" to “deactivate" the office of CJI.
Gogoi’s presence in the hearing was heavily criticised with several including former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde calling it “morally and legally" wrong.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) also criticised the proceedings calling it a “violation of procedure established by law as well as principles of natural Justice." The SCBA also passed a resolution seeking an impartial investigation into the allegations.
The top court will also be hearing a matter related to the sexual harassment case against the CJI.What You May Have MissedIslamic State claims responsibility for bombings in Sri Lanka, releases photo of attackers
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A Delhi court on Tuesday issued non-bailable warrants against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his deputy Manish Sisodia and Swaraj India president Yogendra Yadav for failing to appear before it in a criminal defamation complaint filed in 2013 by a ticket aspirant. The warrants were issued against Aam Aadmi Party leaders Kejriwal and Sisodia, and Yadav, who was then in the AAP, after it was noted that nobody was present from their side during the hearing on the complaint filed by advocate Surender Kumar Sharma. He had alleged that in 2013 he was approached by volunteers of AAP who had asked him to contest the Delhi Assembly elections, but was later denied a ticket. The court has now posted the matter for Wednesday.On Reel
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