CJI sexual harassment case: SC denies report that justices RF Nariman, DY Chandrachud met SA Bobde, advised against ex parte proceedings

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Sunday denied a media report that said justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud had met Justice SA Bobde, who is heading an in-house committee inquiring into the sexual harassment allegations against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. A statement from the apex court said “this is wholly incorrect” that the two judges met Justice Bobde on Friday evening. [caption id=“attachment_5366621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. PTI[/caption] The statement, which issued by the office of the Supreme Court’s secretary general, said it is most unfortunate that a leading newspaper chose to state that the two judges met Justice Bobde. Further, the statement said the in-house committee deliberating on the issue concerning the CJI deliberates on its own without any input from any other judge of the apex court. A report in a leading newspaper on Sunday said that justices Nariman and Chandrachud had met Justice Bobde and had expressed their view that the three-member committee should not go ahead with the proceeding ex parte. The former woman employee of the apex court, who levelled the sexual harassment allegations against the CJI, has opted out of participating in the inquiry raising several grievances, including denial of permission to have her lawyer during the proceedings. The newspaper stated that justices Nariman and Chandrachud had suggested the appointment of an advocate as an amicus curie for assisting the in-house committee. Besides Justice Bobde, other members in the committee are two women judges of the apex court — justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee.