SC denies report that two judges met Justice Bobde on inquiry into allegations against CJI
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Sunday termed as "wholly incorrect" a media report that said that justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud met Justice SA Bobde, who is heading the in-house committee inquiring into sexual harassment allegations against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi.
A statement issued by the office of the Supreme Court's secretary general said it is "most unfortunate" that a leading newspaper chose to state that the two judges met Justice Bobde on Friday evening.
The statement said the in-house committee, which is deliberating on the issue concerning the CJI, deliberates on its own without any input from any other judge of the apex court.
A report in a leading newspaper Sunday stated that justices Nariman and Chandrachud had met Justice Bobde and had expressed their view that the three-member committee should not go ahead with the proceeding ex parte.
The former woman employee of the apex court, who levelled the sexual harassment allegations, had opted herself out of the inquiry raising several grievances, including denial of permission to have her lawyer during proceedings.
A source had earlier said the woman opted not to participate in the proceedings despite being told about consequence that the committee can go ahead with its task ex-parte. She had appeared before the panel for three days.
Justice Bobde on April 23 had told PTI, "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 had clarified that there is no time frame to complete the inquiry and future course of action will depend on "what comes out of the inquiry" which will be "confidential".
The newspaper has stated that justices Nariman and Chandrachud had suggested appointment of an advocate as an amicus curie for assisting the in-house committee.
Besides Justice Bobde, other members in the committee are two women judges of the apex court -- justices Indu Malhotra and Indira Banerjee.
An official source Sunday that the in-house panel deliberates on its own and if any judge, as reported, makes any suggestion, it amounts to interference in proceedings of the committee.
The statement said, "It is most unfortunate that a leading newspaper has chosen to state that justices RF Nariman and DY Chandrachud together met Justice SA Bobde on Friday evening, i.e. on May 3, 2019. This is wholly incorrect. The in-house committee which is deliberating on the issue concerning the CJI, deliberates on its own without any input of any other judge of this court."
Chief Justice Gogoi had Wednesday appeared before an in-house inquiry committee looking into allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by a former woman employee of the Supreme Court.
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Delhi: Father, son held for killing 19-year-old woman in suspected honour killing
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi Police has arrested a man and his son for allegedly murdering his 19-year-old daughter in west Delhi's Hari Nagar area, an official said on Friday.
The case first came to light on April 1 after a PCR call was received around 2 pm, alleging that a woman had been killed by her family members and her body was being taken for last rites, he said.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Maneer (55), a vegetable vendor, and his son Meraj Ali (19), were arrested in connection with the case, the officer said.
The victim had been in a relationship with a man from her native place for the past two years, which was opposed by her father, Maneer and brother Meraj, he said.
"When the girl did not end the relationship despite objections, the family killed her," the officer said.
On April 1, the police said that when their team reached the spot, they found that the woman's body was being taken for burial.
Acting on the input, the burial process was stopped over suspicion of honour killing.
"Police intercepted the family members and took possession of the body," he said.
Police said that the man who had made the PCR told them that the woman was in love with his cousin.
During the inquiry, police also interacted with the PCR caller, who said his cousin, a friend of the deceased, had informed him about the situation and suspected foul play, prompting him to alert the police control room.
The body of the woman was subsequently shifted to the mortuary of Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for preservation and postmortem.
Police said that both the crime team and the forensic science laboratory (FSL) team were called to inspect the scene and collect evidence.
Police said that, as per the postmortem report, the cause of death was identified as smothering, indicating that the woman was suffocated.
A preliminary inquiry also revealed that the family had initiated preparations for the last rites soon after the woman's death, raising suspicion about the circumstances.
Initial investigation pointed to the family's opposition to the woman's relationship.
"The family members of the woman saw her with the man, and she was taken back home. We got to know that she was beaten up and even locked inside the house for some days," a source said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.
