New Delhi: A Gwalior judge, who had alleged sexual harassment against a Madhya Pradesh high court judge, has moved Supreme Court expressing dissatisfaction over the probe panel formed to look into her complaint.
The former woman judge has requested the apex court to set up an external committee comprising two chief justices and one judge of high court.
The judge, who had resigned after the alleged sexual harassment, has also pleaded the top court to reinstate her as additional district and sessions judge.
The female judge in her letter to President Pranab Mukherjee, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and Chief Justice Lodha has given the details of the way she was harassed by the high court judge who was also the administrative in-charge of Gwalior where she was posted as an additional district and sessions judge.
The female judge has alleged that she was posted to a remote area after she declined the judge's request to dance to an item song at a 'ladies' sangeet' function at his home.
Earlier this month, the female judge raised objections to the inclusion of a High Court judge in the committee set up to go into her complaint.
Accusing the judge of seeking sexual favours from her, the woman judge had written to the Chief Justice of India explaining the reasons that forced her to resign from judicial service.
Rejecting the charges made by the woman judge, who also headed the district-level committee to look into sexual harassment in workplace, the high court judge wrote a letter to Chief Justice R M Lodha offering to face any probe by any agency including an investigating agency.
“I have highest regard to the institution and (am) concerned about the image of the institution. On repetition, I again say that I do not want any trial by any court.”
Offering to face a CBI inquiry or a probe by any agency, he said if any allegation against him is found true, “I am ready to face any penalty, even the death penalty”.
“In regard to the woman judge and even in regard to any lady, an investigation can also be done whether I have ever harassed or abused any of the lady employees or any subordinate judge,” the judge said in his two-page letter to the CJI.
The woman judge, in her letter to CJI, narrates a number of instances in which she was the subject of the judge's “foul and malicious intentions”.
“Call it a woman's intuition but I was very cautious and disturbed...I ignored him and kept doing my work,” she said, adding some of the words used by the judge made her feel ashamed.
She also referred to the alleged harassment by three judicial officers on the orders of the high court judge.
