Judge sexual harassment: SC quashes probe panel

The panel was quashed due to improper constitution, violating in-house procedures put in place by the SC

The Supreme Court Thursday quashed two judge panel set up by the chief justice of Madhya Pradesh high court to probe the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a woman district judge against the sitting judge of the high court.

The apex court bench headed by Justice J S Kehar quashed the panel saying that the chief justice of the high court constituted it improperly as it was in violation of in-house procedures put in place by the Supreme Court to probe the allegation of sexual harassment by the judges of the high court and the supreme court.

Having set aside the probe panel, the court said that the accused judge will be divested of his administrative and supervisory responsibility and the chief justice of the supreme court would entrust the chief justice of another high court to constitute a probe panel or himself undertake the exercise to look into the allegations.

The court said since the chief justice of Madhya Pradesh high court was associated with the exercise, which it has set aside, therefore he will in no way be associated with the fresh probe panel.