Judge’s sex harassment charge in letter goes viral, Chief Justice seeks report

Chief Justice of India, Justice DY Chandrachud, has sought a report from the Allahabad High Court after a woman judge from Uttar Pradesh alleged sexual harassment at the workplace in a letter to him.

According to sources, the Chief Justice directed Supreme Court Secretary General Atul M Kurhekar to seek a status update. Subsequently, Kurhekar wrote a letter to the Registrar General of the Allahabad High Court, seeking information about all the complaints made by the woman judge.

The Supreme Court secretariat also sought status report of proceedings before the Internal Complaints Committee that deals with the complaint.

This development comes after the letter to the Chief Justice by the woman civil judge posted in Banda district in Uttar Pradesh went viral on social media. In her letter, the judge pleaded for euthanasia, stating that she was deeply hurt because her senior district judge treated her very disrespectfully.

“In the short time of my service I have had the rare honour of being abused (the dreaded Hindi mother curse word) on dias in open court. I have been sexually harassed to the very limit. I have been treated like utter garbage. I feel like an unwanted insect. And I hoped to provide justice to others. What naive me!,” the judge wrote in her letter.

“I have been sexually harassed by one particular District Judge and his associates. I was told to meet the District Judge at night,” the judge stated.

She also alleged that there was no action from the Allahabad High Court Chief Justice, and administrative judge after she complained.

“No one even bothered to ask me: WHAT HAPPENENED, WHY ARE YOU DISTRESSED?,” the judge said.

She also complained to the Internal Complaints Committee of the High Court, but the “proposed enquiry is also a Farce and a Sham”, she said.

The judge concluded her letter to the CJI saying, “Kindly permit me to end my life in a dignified way. Let my life be: DISMISSED.”