Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Law graduate sticks to charges, puts faith in 3-judge panel -Dhananjay Mahapatra

Law graduate sticks to charges, puts faith in 3-judge panel -Dhananjay Mahapatra

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Nov 22, 2013   modified Modified on Nov 22, 2013
-The Times of India


NEW DELHI: A young lawyer, who had alleged that she was sexually harassed by a "retired Supreme Court judge", has stood by her earlier statements and interviews and repeated the charges against her alleged tormentor in her deposition before a three-judge fact-finding committee set up by Chief Justice P Sathasivam.

In her blog post on 'Journal of Indian Law and Society' on Thursday, she said, "On November 12, the CJI set up a three-member committee to look into a matter of sexual harassment that I had faced by a former Supreme Court judge. As requested by the committee, I appeared before them on November 18. During the meeting, I presented all the details of the case to the committee. I am confident the committee will follow all the different lines of enquiry, and will establish the truth of my statements."

The young law graduate's assertion heightens the interest in what the fact-finding committee might do next to ascertain the veracity of her sensational charge.

On her November 6 post followed by an interview to website 'Legally India' on November 11, the girl had alleged that the retired judge, who was "old enough to be her grandfather", had sexually harassed her in a hotel room at a time when Delhi had erupted against the brutal gang-rape of Nirbhaya in December last year.

The law graduate had deposed before the committee comprising Justices R M Lodha, H L Dattu and Ranjana P Desai on November 18. From her blog post on Thursday, it is apparent that she reiterated her charges against the former SC judge, which she first made in a blog and elaborated on in her interview to a website.

Official sources in the Supreme Court said the girl, who graduated from Kolkata-based National University of Juridical Sciences this year, on Thursday sent "some affidavit and a certain application" to the three-judge committee. They did not elaborate on the contents of either the affidavit or the application, except saying "these were on the same issue".

Sources also said she had sought exemption from appearance before the committee's proceedings on Wednesday, which was granted. At the same time, sources said the "statement of the law intern is over".

In her latest blog post, she said, "The committee has assured me complete confidentiality. Some media reports are violating the confidentiality of testimony given by the committee. They have been distorting facts, and misreporting my statements."

She ended her blog post with an appeal to the media, "Such pernicious and mala fide reporting must cease immediately. I would like to request the media to stop speculating on my communications with the committee, and continue to respect my privacy."

In her earlier statements in blog and interview, the NUJS graduate had said she had "cowardly" decided not to wage legal battle against her alleged tormentor but decided to speak out "as I felt I had a responsibility to ensure that other young girls were not put in a similar situation".

Currently a fellow with 'Natural Justice: Lawyers for Communities and the Environment', the young woman said she kept mum because of the high position the judge enjoyed and that she was too stunned and surprised at the time to even react with anger.

In her interview to 'Legally India', she said, "I have heard of three other cases (of sexual harassment) by the same judge and I know of at least four other girls who've faced harassment from other judges -- not perhaps as (bad as mine): most of them were in the chambers of the judge and other people around, so it never gets too bad. A girl I know faced continuous sexual harassment throughout and sexual advances, and actually faced troubles through her work because of it."

When contacted by TOI through e-mail, she had said, "I have said all that I wish to say on the matter in the blog post and in the interview with Legally India. At this point, I do not think that I wish to discuss the issue any more."


The Times of India, 22 November, 2013, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Law-graduate-sticks-to-charges-puts-faith-in-3-judge-panel/articleshow/26170016.cms


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close