They were opposing clean chit to CJI

Fifty-five protesters, mostly women lawyers and activists, were detained outside the Supreme Court on Tuesday when they protested against the procedure adopted to deal with a sexual harassment charge against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.

Chief Justice Gogoi on Monday got a clean chit from an in-house inquiry committee. It “has found no substance” in the allegation levelled against him by a former woman employee of the court.

Carrying banners which read, “No clean chit,” “Supremacy of Rule of law must be maintained,” “Be you ever so high, the law is above you,” several women lawyers and activists staged a protest outside the Supreme Court raising objection to the clean chit given to Justice Gogoi.

Heavy deployment

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said, “There was heavy deployment of police around the area. Three men and 52 women protesters were detained and taken to the Mandir Marg police station.”

Demanding a transparent inquiry, activist Annie Raja said, “The Supreme Court committee has violated all existing norms. We want to protect the justice system. If the SC itself is violating the norms, then there will be no value in the system left.”

The three-member committee proceeded ex-parte as the woman had opted out of the inquiry on April 30.

The complainant had on Monday said “gross injustice” has been done to her as a woman citizen of India and her “worst fears” have come true, and all hopes of justice and redress from the highest court of the land have been shattered.