SC reinstates former woman judicial officer, who alleged sexual harassment against HC judge

The Supreme Court on Thursday announced that a woman judicial officer who resigned in 2014 after alleging sex harassment by a High Court judge would be reinstated. The judge had sought reinstatement because she had been forced to resign in 2014.

The apex court said the court declared that the petitioner's 2014 resignation could not be considered voluntary. The Supreme Court directed the Madhya Pradesh government to reinstate the woman judge on her designation. The female was serving as the additional district judge before her resignation. 

The Supreme Court said, "We are not going into correctness of the resolution passed by the high court," while suppressing the high court's judgment to accept her resignation. 

While ordering her reinstatement, the Supreme Court stated that she would not be entitled to back wages; instead, she would receive all benefits of continued service.

The woman, in July 2014, had written letters to the President, the Chief Justice, and Union Law Minister in brief on her alleged harassment. She then resigned from her post as an additional district judge in Gwalior.

She said that the High Court judge asked her to dance to an item song in the written letter. The female judge said that the judge had influenced her transfer to a remote location.

Last December, the High Court judge was given a clean chit by the Rajya Sabha-appointed panel that examined the charges of sexual harassment. The committee did not find any charge that the judge misused his power to use the lower judiciary to harass the complainant.

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• Gwalior
• High court
• Judge
• Sexual harassment
• Supreme Court