Allegations against CJI: Ex-employee appears before in-house inquiry panel
New Delhi: A former apex court employee, who levelled allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, appeared on Friday before the in-house inquiry panel which is dealing with her complaint.
The three-member panel, headed by Justice S A Bobde, conducted its first in-chamber sitting during which the woman and the secretary general of the apex court appeared before it, an official source said.
The source said the secretary general was present before the panel, also comprising two women judges Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee with all documents and materials.
During the hearing, only the woman was present and the secretary general was not privy to the proceedings, the source said.
The advocate who had accompanied the woman to the apex court was also not part of the proceedings, the source said, adding that next date of the hearing would be fixed by the panel shortly.
On April 23, Justice Bobde had told PTI that the in-house procedure did not contemplate representation of advocates on behalf of parties as it was not a formal judicial proceedings.
"This is going to be an in-house procedure which does not contemplate representation of advocate on behalf of parties. It is not a formal judicial proceeding," he said.
He had clarified that there was no time frame to complete the inquiry and the future course of action will depend on "what comes out of the inquiry" which will be "confidential".
Justice Indu Malhotra was Thursday appointed a new member of the committee after Justice N V Ramana recused himself.
The development followed the complainant's letter to the panel on Wednesday, expressing reservation over the inclusion of Justice Ramana on the ground that he is a close friend of the CJI and a regular visitor to his house.
In the letter, she had also raised question over the presence of only one woman apex court judge Indira Banerjee in the panel set up to examine her allegations against the CJI. According to her, it was not in accordance with the Vishaka Guidelines.
Justice Ramana, while recusing himself, had termed as "baseless and unfounded" the "aspersions" cast by the woman on him.
He said he recused only to "avoid any suspicion that this institution will not conduct itself in keeping with the highest standards of judicial propriety and wisdom".
The woman's allegations against the CJI were brought into the public domain by some news web portals on April 20.
She had worked at Justice Gogoi's home office in Delhi and the allegations were carried by the news portals based on her affidavit which was sent to 22 judges of the top court.
In her affidavit, the woman described two incidents of alleged harassment, days after Justice Gogoi was appointed CJI last October and her subsequent persecution.
The woman alleged that she was removed from service after she rebuffed his "sexual advances". She claimed that her husband and brother-in-law, both of whom were head constables, were suspended for a 2012 criminal case that had been mutually resolved.
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Annamalai left out of BJP’s candidate list for Tamil Nadu polls, party cites High Command decision
Chennai/New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party has released its list of 27 candidates for the upcoming Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, triggering political discussion after the absence of former state president K Annamalai from the roster.
Despite being widely seen as the party’s most prominent face in the state and a key figure in its southern expansion strategy, Annamalai was not fielded in the list. Senior leaders, including Tamilisai Soundararajan from Mylapore, Vanathi Srinivasan from Coimbatore North, and Union Minister L. Murugan from Avinashi, have been nominated.
Responding to questions on the omission, Tamil Nadu BJP president Nainar Nagendran said the decision was taken by the party’s central leadership. He expressed confidence that all 27 candidates would emerge victorious in the polls.
Annamalai, a former IPS officer who joined the BJP in 2020 and rapidly rose to prominence, had earlier been replaced as state chief by Nagendran. Known for his aggressive political style and grassroots outreach, he has been instrumental in amplifying the party’s presence in Tamil Nadu, a state traditionally dominated by Dravidian parties.
In a message posted on X, Annamalai congratulated the candidates and reaffirmed his commitment to the party. He said he would campaign actively for BJP and NDA nominees, expressing confidence in the alliance securing a decisive mandate. He also criticised the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government, calling it ineffective and self-serving.
The BJP is contesting the elections as part of the National Democratic Alliance led by the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Seat-sharing arrangements allocate 169 constituencies to the AIADMK, 27 to the BJP, 18 to the Pattali Makkal Katchi, 11 to the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam, five to the Tamil Maanila Congress, and one seat each to the Indhiya Jananayaga Katchi and Puratchi Bharatham.
Tamil Nadu will vote in a single phase on April 23 across all 234 constituencies, with counting scheduled for May 4. The primary contest is expected between the DMK-led alliance and the AIADMK-led NDA, although actor-turned-politician Vijay is also positioning himself as a potential challenger, raising the possibility of a multi-cornered contest.
#WATCH | Chennai | Tamil Nadu BJP President Nainar Nagendran says, "A list of 27 candidates has been released by the BJP High Command... All the 27 candidates will surely win this time..."
— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2026
On Annamalai's name not appearing in the recently released list, he says, "This is a… https://t.co/pDd0HodSAW pic.twitter.com/29gkGK9AaP
