Even as the case of sexual harassment against a former Supreme Court judge by a law intern has taken a curious turn with a retired SC judge publicly criticising the victim for making her ordeal public almost a year after the incident, women lawyers practicing in the apex court shot a signed representation to the Chief Justice of India demanding their representation in the enquiry panel.
“The guidelines framed by the Supreme Court require that the Committee (under Vishaka guidelines) should be presided by a woman, and that not less than two thirds of the members of the Committee should be women,” the representation said.
A woman lawyers’ body even held demonstration on the Supreme Court premises for a fair enquiry into the complaint, keeping confidential the statement of witnesses deposing before the panel and providing protection to those who dared to come forward with such complaints.
The developments came even as the intern, now a lawyer, deposed before the three-judge committee in Supreme Court. The lady lawyer appeared before the panel of Justices RM lodha, Hl Dattu and Ranjana Desai to record her statement in the judges’ chamber a little after the proceedings of the court ended at 4 pm. Her deposition remained incomplete and she has been called again on Wednesday.
In the meantime, Justice AK Ganguly, who was reached by a publication for comments, doubted the veracity of the girl’s claim appearing on a blog and “that too after a year”.
He is reported to have said, “I do not want to make any comments at this juncture,” conscious of the fact that the matter was being examined by an SC panel. But on the allegation he told the publication, “This allegation is coming after almost a year and that too through a blog. A committee has been formed by the SC and it will take a decision after recording the girl’s statement.”
Justice Ganguly currently heads the West Bengal Human Rights Commission. He retired from Supreme Court in February 2012 after completing an eventful tenure which included the landmark decision in the 2G case.