Former Supreme Court Staff accuses CJI Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harrasment

April 20: In a sensational development, a former staff of the Supreme Court has made allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi in an affidavit that she sent to 22 judges of the apex court on April 19, 2019. Ranjan Gogoi on Saturday denied charges of sexual harassment against him, and described the complaint by a former court staff as a bigger plot aimed at attacking the office of the CJI and independence of the judiciary.

The Supreme Court on Saturday held an urgent hearing after a former woman employee accused the Chief Justice of India of sexual misconduct. A special bench comprising Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Sanjiv Khanna was set up by Chief Justice Gogoi to hear the case. During the course of the hearing, Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi spoke his heart out in the court room and said that the judiciary is under tremendous threat today. “I don’t want to stoop so low as to answer these charges,” Justice Gogoi said.

The Chief Justice said the allegations had cropped up as he is scheduled to hear important cases in the Supreme Court next week. “I will sit on this chair and discharge my judicial functions without any fear… Things have gone too far. Judiciary cannot be made a scapegoat,” he said.

“What troubles me is that after 20 years of service, I have a bank balance of Rs 6 lakh and Rs 40 lakh in PF. When I was a judge I had more. No one can catch me on money. They have to look for something else,” the Chief Justice said. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear next week the cases related to the prime minister’s biopic, a contempt of court case against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi and a case regarding the seizure of cash in Tamil Nadu.

The special bench of Chief Justice Gogoi, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Sanjeev Khanna refrained from passing any judicial order “at this stage” and said they “leave it to the discretion of the media to exercise restraint and act responsibly.”