I'm being looked at with suspicion by panel: says Intern

The law graduate had made allegations of sexual harassment by a recently-retired Supreme Court judge

A law intern, who has alleged sexual harassment by a recently-retired Supreme Court judge, feels she is being looked at with "suspicious eye" when she appears before the apex court's three-member probe panel.

She also said the reason for delay in coming out with the sexual harassment allegation was that she feels Indian law is "not equipped enough to sensitively deal with crimes against women".

The website 'Legally India' which was the first to come out with her story, today quoted her interview to Wall Street Journal in which she said it took her time to come to terms with the fact that she had been assaulted.

"When I finally did, all that I wanted to do was to erase the memory from my conscience. This was a man I had admired, I looked up to him.

"Indeed, I pondered over the idea of legal recourse, but feared it would do more harm than good. First, my case would have dragged on for years. Second, defence lawyers would make me relive every violating moment in court - something I wanted to bury at the time.

"Third, in cases of assaults, where there is no physical evidence, it's one word against the other, really. There's no reason why a law graduate would have won over a judge with a spotless record. Even now, for instance, when I appear before the panel, I feel I'm being looked at with suspicious eye. I have to constantly justify that I'm not lying, I'm not making up this story. I feel humiliated," the website quoted her.

She also said it was ironic that she, being a lawyer, "does not think Indian law, or our legal system for that matter, is equipped enough to sensitively deal with crimes against women".

The law graduate, who first made public the allegation by writing her ordeal in a blog, said though she had not expected it to go viral, she was happy that it has caught national attention and triggered broader debates.