SC restrains media in judge's sexual harassment case

The Supreme Court Monday restrained the media from reporting proceedings in a case of alleged sexual harassment by a former woman additional district and sessions judge in Madhya Pradesh against a state high court judge.

Directing the listing of the matter for Oct 30, the bench of Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice Arun Mishra said: "The media/press is directed not to report the proceedings of this case, till the final judgment is delivered in the matter."

The apex court by its Aug 29 order had stayed the probe into allegations of sexual harassment by a former Gwalior district judge against a sitting judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The composition of the probe committee, set up by the Madhya Pradesh High Court chief justice, was objected to by the woman judge, saying it was headed by Justice Ajit Singh who had transferred her out of Gwalior to the remote district of Sidhi.

The former woman judge urged then Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha (since retired) to set up a three-judge committee that would comprise the chief justice of a high court other than that of Madhya Pradesh and another judge to probe her allegation.

She also sought her reinstatement to the post from which she had resigned under duress after suffering the alleged sexual harassment.

She also sought that the judge she has blamed not be given any judicial or administrative work till the probe was over.

Earlier, the woman, in her letter to Justice Lodha had given the details of the way she was harassed by the high court judge, who was also the administrative in-charge of Gwalior.

She had alleged that she was posted to a remote area after she declined the judge's request to dance to an item song at a function at his home.