Several women lawyers, activists stage protest outside SC; 55 held

Fifty-five protesters, mostly women lawyers and activists, were detained outside the Supreme Court here while they were agitating against the procedure adopted to deal with a sexual harassment case against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. Gogoi on Monday got a clean chit from the apex court's In-House Inquiry Committee which "has found no substance" in the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by a former woman employee of the Supreme 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 Gogoi. Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Madhur Verma said, "There was heavy deployment of police around the area. Three men, including, fifty-two women protesters, were detained and taken to Mandir Marg police station," a senior police official said.

The three-member committee, which completed its task in 14 days, proceeded ex-parte as the woman had opted out of the inquiry on April 30 after participating for three days. The complainant had on Monday said "gross injustice" has been done to her as a woman citizen of India and "worst fears" have come true, and all hope of justice and redress from the highest court of the land have been shattered.

(With inputs from agencies.)