Sexual harassment by MP High Court judge: 3 other judges abetted, says complainant

The former additional district and sessions judge in Gwalior who has alleged sexual harassment at the hands of a senior High Court judge has said in her statement that three other judges also abetted in her harassment.

According to a report in the Indian Express , the former judge who resigned from her post due to the alleged harassment has said that “three other judges also abetted the alleged harassment by interfering with her day-to-day sitting in the court.”

In her complaint which was sent to the Chief Justice of India R M Lodha, the victim has alleged that the harassment worsened after two judges were transferred to Gwalior District Court in April 2014, and MP High Court Judge SK Gangele used them to torment her. The third judge in question was a district registrar, adds the report.

She says in her complaint that judges would constantly inspect her court “with an unusual frequency — regularly, hourly, and at times within a span of minutes after starting of the court, even before two minutes of lunch time, one minute after lunch time, five minutes before rising of the court.”

Meanwhile, Justice S K Gangele told The Times of India that he was ready to face the death penalty if found guilty.

He told the paper, “Shocking allegations have been made in the complaint as mentioned in the news item. I am ready to face any probe by CBI or any agency and if any allegation be found proved, I am ready even to face death penalty.” He also added that he had never interacted with “any subordinate woman officer.”

In a letter to the CJI, Justice Gangele has also the allegations are false. He has said he does not know under what circumstances the complainant has made her allegations. “In my humble request, the allegations may be enquired into and it may also be enquired under what circumstances she has made such type of allegations,” the TOI report quotes her letter as saying.

The complainant had alleged that Gangele would ask her to visit his bungalow alone at night and once asked her to perform an ‘item number’ for him. When she resisted his advances, he turned vindictive and she was then transferred to the remote Sidhi district in the middle of the academic year which would have affected her daughter’s class 12 exams. When she requested that the transfer be cancelled, the judge allegedly said that this was a punishment for resisting his advances. She said that she had resigned to protect her dignity. The woman judge in her resignation letter said, “I am not resigning voluntarily. It is under duress.”

The Supreme Court said: “With regard to allegations of sexual harassment of additional district and sessions judge, Gwalior, a through e-mail has been received in the registry, which is being dealt with appropriately.”

Meanwhile women activists and lawyers on Monday urged Chief Justice of India RM Lodha to initiate an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment.

Indira Jaising, former additional solicitor general, has appealed for a full-fledged inquiry into the allegations of sexual harassment against the judge. “… he has to be suspended from all work,” she said, adding that at present there was no mechanism to hear complaints of sexual harassment against a sitting judge of the high court or that of Supreme Court.

“It is the responsibility of the Chief Justice of India to inquire into the matter and then it should be reported to police,” Jaising said adding that the ball is in the court of judiciary.

Jaising added that the woman judge has also said that “not everybody in judiciary indulges in sexual harassment. There are rogues. The problem is people don’t speak. We have to break this silence”.

With inputs from IANS