CJI Complainant’s Husband, Kin Reinstated In Delhi Police Jobs

A month after the Supreme Court in-house inquiry panel gave clean chit to CJI Ranjan Gogoi in a sexual harassment case alleged by a female ex-court staffer, her husband and brother-in-law have been reinstated as head constables in Delhi Police. The duo was suspended from their jobs four months earlier, soon after she was terminated, the woman had alleged in her affidavit.

“The suspension order has been revoked. Both of them have been reinstated last week but the departmental inquiry against them is still pending,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Delhi Armed police) C K Mein confirmed to The Indian Express. However, he refused to comment on why the order was revoked.

On April 19 this year, the 32-year-old woman had written a sworn affidavit and sent it to 22 Supreme Court judges explaining her ordeal caused due to alleged sexual harassment and misuse of power. She also accused Gogoi of ill-treating her after she refused to succumb to his alleged sexual advances. In the affidavit, she sought immediate protection from any “coercive action” by the Delhi police and had made it evident that there was “a grave threat” to her life, besides the lives of her family members.

On April 19, the 32-year-old woman had written a sworn affidavit and sent it to 22 Supreme Court judges explaining her ordeal caused due to alleged sexual harassment and misuse of power.

She also alleged in the affidavit that after she showed her dissent to CJI’s approaches, she was transferred multiple times, and on December 21, 2018, she was suspended from service in connection with an inquiry initiated against her for questioning the decisions of senior officers regarding change of her postings and for taking leave without authorization.

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Just after seven days of her suspension, her husband and brother-in-law were suspended on December 28, 2018, on the basis that they were facing a departmental issue, a Crime Branch officer had earlier told Indian Express. He said that the woman's husband faced suspension for allegedly calling the CJI’s office, and her brother-in-law for allegedly concealing a 2015 police complaint against him over “unruly behavior”.

“We were reinstated a few days ago and now we hope they will also close our departmental inquiry as we are innocent… My brother is currently in Mumbai with his wife for her ear treatment,” the woman’s husband said, further adding,“I am not aware of the development as I am on leave.”

DCP (New Delhi) Madhur Verma in April denied any connection between the timing of suspension of the duo and the complainant. “There is no link between the departmental inquiry (against the two men) and the woman’s case.”

The husband and the kin confirmed that they have been taken back by the Delhi Police. “We were reinstated a few days ago and now we hope they will also close our departmental inquiry as we are innocent… My brother is currently in Mumbai with his wife for her ear treatment,” the woman’s husband said, further adding,“I am not aware of the development as I am on leave.”

When the sexual harassment case first came into the highlight, CJI Gogoi held an emergency meeting the next day which he also chaired himself and said, “This is unbelievable. I should not stoop low even in denying it… There has to be a bigger, bigger force behind this.”

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