Complaint Against K’taka Judge Wasn’t Handled Well: Law Min to CJI

Prasad reportedly wrote to the CJI on the lack of a “proper inquiry” into the sexual harassment case.

File photo of Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. 

(Photo: IANS)

The government has written to Chief Justice Dipak Misra over a complaint of sexual harassment against a district court judge in Karnataka not being handled according to the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court while considering his case for promotion to the High Court.

The letter written by Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad comes days after Justice J Chelameswar, the second senior most judge of the apex court after CJI Dipak Misra, wrote to SC judges alleging the government is stalling the appointment of P K Bhat even after a discreet probe by the Karnataka HC had absolved him.

Prasad reportedly wrote a three-page letter to the CJI last week talking of the lack of a “proper inquiry” into the matter, sources told PTI on Sunday, 8 April.

Earlier, the sources had claimed that the Supreme Court collegium had disregarded a complaint of sexual harassment made by a woman judicial officer against Bhat, while considering his name for elevation to the Karnataka High Court on two occasions.

The collegium had reportedly found “no force in the accusations” levelled by the woman at the time of elevating the district Judge to the High Court, reported the Economic Times.

Rejecting Justice Chelameswar’s charge that the executive was stalling the judiciary’s recommendations on appointments, they had said the government was in no hurry to take a call on the recommendation of the collegium to promote Bhat.

Justice Chelameswar had urged the CJI to consider convening a full court to take up the issue of alleged executive interference in the working of the judiciary.

Chelameswar’s letter letter, dated 21 March 2018, and marked to all the other judges of the Supreme Court as well, was triggered by a communication from the Union Ministry of Law and Justice to Karnataka High Court Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari.

The Ministry had contacted Justice Maheshwari to ask him to look into allegations against Bhat, who the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended for elevation to the Karnataka High Court.