After Bollywood, media and Indian politics, the MeToo movement has now reached the doorstep of the Indian judiciary with the country’s top court making its intervention on Friday.
Supreme Court today served a notice against Madhya Pradesh High Court judge after a former woman judge’s plea to reinstate her. The top court agreed to hear the case against the judge after six weeks.
The matter was heard by a bench headed by Justice AK Sikri, which admitted the petition by the former district and sessions judge and issued a notice to the MP High Court. The former woman judge had quit her job alleging sexual harassment by the then Madhya Pradesh High Court judge, whi has retired since then.
A committe was set up to inquire the allegations of sexual harassment in 2015 after nearly 60 Rajya Sabha MPs signed in favour the impeachment of the then High Court judge, facing sexual harassment charges.
The inquiry committed, that comprised of Supreme Court judge Justice R Banumathi, Justice (since retired) Manjula Chellur and senior advocate K K Venugopal, submitted its report last December. Whilst it said that the allegations of sexual harassment could not be proved beyond reasonable doubts, it said that the decision to transfer the woman judge abruptly was not justified.
The woman judge has now sought her reinstatement in light of the probe panel’s findings.
