SC to probe law intern's sexual case

Three judges will investigate charges of sexual harassment of the intern by a recently-retired judge

Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam on Tuesday declared in the Supreme Court that a panel of three sitting judges has been constituted to investigate the alleged sexual harassment of an intern by a recently retired SC judge.

Attorney-General G E Vahanvati also moved a petition in the court, seeking an action on a report published in the Tuesday’s edition of The Times of India.

He said he was “very, very upset” over the report and it should not go unheeded. He wanted to stop all speculations based on the report.

The chief justice said the judges were also upset by the report and were discussing  an appropriate step till the lunch break. The bench assembled 20 minutes late, which was unusual. The judge announced a committee comprising judges R M Lodha, H L Dattu and Ranjana Desai to investigate the truth of the allegations made by the intern in a blog and  in an interview to a legal website.

Sathasivam said the first step would be to verify the allegations. Since the apex court campus was a high security area, the entry and exit of the people who visit the place should be examined. He said recently a panel was proposed to be set up to check sexual harassment of lawyers and other women visitors on the premises. However, he regretted that the Bar and the clerks’ associations had not nominated members to the panel, delaying its constitution. He said the names should be given by November 30.

Earlier in the morning, a lawyer, M L Sharma, mentioned the report before the chief justice and was told the judges themselves were considering action in the matter. In the afternoon, when the bench assembled, the Chief Justice announced the constitution of the judicial committee. Following the declaration, the Attorney General sought a two-week adjournment of his petition, which was granted.