Sexually harassed law intern fails to turn up for recording of statement

The NUJS graduate, who has alleged sexual harassment by a recently-retired Supreme Court judge, failed to turn up for recording of her statement before the three-judge committee set up to investigate the charge.

According to court sources, members of the panel which was constituted soon after the law intern revealed about an alleged sexual harassment by a retired Supreme Court judge, assembled for the meeting and waited for nearly one hour and 45 minutes. However, there was no response from Ravindra Maithani, secretary general of the apex court, who is also the member secretary of the committee, regarding the details of the meeting.

On 18^th November, the intern had recorded her statement for two hours before the committee comprising Justices RM Lodha, HL Dattu and Ranjana Prakash Desai, and requested the Court to maintain confidentiality of her testimony. After which she was again asked to appear before the committee on 20^th November which is inquiring into the allegation leveled by her against the judge.

Chief Justice Sathasivam had earlier said that being the head of the judicial institution he cannot take such issues lightly and decided to form the three-judge committee saying that the committee will probe into the whole affair and find out the facts and prepare the report. It was Attorney General GE Vahavati who had first mentioned the matter before the Supreme Court bench about the law intern’s alleged sexual harassment by a retired Supreme Court judge while she was interning under him.