[dropcap]A[/dropcap] three-judge panel headed by the Supreme Court of India’s senior-most judge, Justice S A Bobde, constituted to enquire into sexual harassment allegations against the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Justice Ranjan Gogoi, has issued notice to the former Supreme Court woman employee who levelled the charges.
The panel of three judges, Justices S A Bobde, Ramana and Indira Banerjee, was constituted on Tuesday, April 23, 2019. The panel has required the former Supreme Court employee to be present on April 26, 2019, when the first hearing will be conducted.
“This is going to be an in-house procedure which does not contemplate representation of advocate on behalf of parties. It is not a formal judicial proceeding”, Justice Bobde is reported to have told PTI.
The three-judge panel was constituted after criticism from several quarters about a decision of the CJI-led bench to deal with the issue suo moto on the judicial side.
Two powerful lawyers’ bodies – the Supreme Court Advocate-on-Record Association and the Supreme Court Bar Association, the Women in Criminal Law Association, and several senior advocates have openly condemned the procedure used by CJI Gogoi.
