Collegium did not follow SC guidelines on sexual harassment cases: Govt

The Supreme Court collegium had disregarded a complaint of sexual harassment made by a woman judicial officer against her superior, while considering his name for elevation to the Karnataka High Court on two occasions, senior government functionaries said today.

Rejecting Justice J Chelameswar's recent charge that the executive was stalling the judiciary's recommendations on appointments, they said the government was in no hurry to take a call on the recommendation of the collegium to elevate principal district judge P K Bhat.

The comments came in the wake of Justice Chelameswar's charges earlier this month in a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI). He had urged the CJI to consider convening a full court to take up the issue of alleged executive interference in judiciary, cautioning that "the bonhomie between the judiciary and the government in any State sounds the death knell to democracy".

Reacting to the charge that the government was in no hurry to take a call on the colleagium's recommendations, a functionary said "we are free to sit on the file. There is no timeline mentioned in the memorandum of procedure -- a document that guides the elevation and posting of HC and SC judges."