In response to the viral circulation of an open letter, purportedly authored by a woman judge in Uttar Pradesh, detailing allegations of sexual harassment by a senior district judge, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has initiated an inquiry. The letter, widely shared on social media, includes a plea for permission to end her life in a dignified manner.
"I have been sexually harassed to the very limit. I have been treated like utter garbage. I feel like an unwanted insect," expressed the woman judge from Banda in the widely-circulated letter.
Supreme Court Secretary General Atul M Kurhekar, following Chief Justice Chandrachud's instructions, has written to the registrar general of the Allahabad High Court, seeking a report on the status of all complaints filed by the woman judge. The acting Chief Justice of the High Court has also acknowledged the open letter.
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The ongoing inquiry into the woman judge's allegations has been described by her as "a farce and a sham." She highlighted the conflict of interest, noting that the witnesses in the investigation are immediate subordinates of the accused district judge. Despite her plea for the transfer of the judge during the inquiry to ensure a fair investigation, the Supreme Court summarily dismissed her request in just eight seconds.
Expressing her despair, the woman judge declared, "I have no will to live anymore. I have been rendered a walking corpse in the last year and a half. There is no purpose in carrying this soulless and lifeless body around anymore. There is no purpose left in my life," as stated in the two-page letter.
