India’s Chief Justice Accused Of Harassing His Assistant And Then Retaliating Against Her
on Saturday morning. Hours after these stories went online, the Chief Justice called for an emergency meeting of five judges at the Supreme Court, where he “strongly denied” the woman’s allegations and said the “independence of the judiciary” was under threat. He also warned the media to exercise caution and report responsibly and refrain from publishing “wild and scandalous allegations” which “undermine and irreparably damage reputation” the independence of the judiciary.
The woman started as a junior assistant at the court on May 2, 2014, while she was studying for a law degree. The woman said that at first she was overwhelmed by the attention, having never spent any time with a senior member of the judiciary before. “It was a huge, huge deal,” she told BuzzFeed News. “As junior assistants, we weren’t even supposed to look at or make eye contact with judges, so a man like that speaking to me was an honor.”
The woman’s husband told BuzzFeed News that, when the two men were alone, Gogoi said that he was in the running for the post of Chief Justice, and that he would therefore need more help from his assistants. The judge said that on occasion he might have to ask his wife to come to work early and leave late, the husband said.
The woman told BuzzFeed News that Gogoi kept finding ways of ingratiating himself with her family. On Oct. 2, the woman and her husband were invited to the judge’s residence for a private function. It was the evening before Gogoi was to be sworn in as the Chief Justice and the three of them were photographed standing together, along with their daughter.
After that, the woman said in her affidavit, Gogoi resumed talking about her tasks as if nothing had happened. The woman told BuzzFeed News that although she knew that the judge might use this piece of paper as evidence against her, as it implied that it was she who had tried to hold Gogoi and not the other way around, she was scared and agreed to write whatever he wanted.
On Dec. 10 the woman was told that an inquiry into charges of misconduct would be launched, and that she should present herself to the court a week later. On Dec. 17, while she waited in court for her disciplinary hearing, the stress of the past few months caught up with her, and she fainted. She was found lying unresponsive on the floor, and taken to a nearby hospital. Her medical reports, seen by BuzzFeed News, describe her as having hyperventilated and suffered a panic attack.
According to the affidavit, things took an extraordinary turn on Jan. 10, when the husband said he was contacted by the police and told that if his wife apologized to the Chief Justice, their “problems would be sorted.” By now, the woman was deeply depressed, she said. She learned she had become the subject of wild rumors among the Supreme Court’s staff: that she had photographed confidential documents and had been caught in the act by Gogoi, and that she had committed suicide.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Here's How LGBTIQ People Experience Sexual Harassment At WorkSexual Harassment At Work Can Look Different For LGBTIQ People
Read more »
This Student Died After She Was Set On Fire For Reporting Sexual HarassmentThis Student Died After She Was Set On Fire For Reporting Sexual Harassment And People Are Demanding Justice
Read more »
Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago 'up to something nefarious': judgeA Chinese woman charged with bluffing her way into U.S. President Donald Trump&...
Read more »
Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago 'up to something,' denied bail: judgeA Chinese woman charged with bluffing her way into U.S. President Donald Trump&...
Read more »
India's Supreme Court considers call to open mosques to womenIndia's Supreme Court agreed on Tuesday to consider a petition from a Musli...
Read more »
Chinese woman arrested at Mar-a-Lago 'up to something,' denied bail: judgeYujing Zhang, who was carrying multiple electronic devices when arrested, pleaded not guilty at her arraignment and detention hearing on Monday in West Palm Beach, Florida. Zhang, 33, was indicted on Friday on charges of making false statements to a federal officer and entering or remaining in a restricted
Read more »
India's major parties field few women in race to parliamentWomen running for India's parliament are barely a blip in the world's ...
Read more »