Why a UP judge has sought CJI DY Chandrachud’s nod to ‘end’ her life

Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud has sought a report from the Allahabad High Court after a purported letter written by a woman judicial officer in Uttar Pradesh alleging sexual harassment by her senior in her previous posting went viral on social media. In an open letter, the judge has asked for the CJI’s permission to end her life.

The complainant, who is a civil judge in UP’s Banda district, also detailed the “abuse” and “harassment” she was subjected to in her career.

Let’s take a closer look at the story.

UP judge’s letter to CJI

The civil judge said in the purported two-page letter that she is writing to her “eldermost guardian” in “extreme pain and despair”.

“I joined the judicial service with much enthusiasm and belief that I would dispense justice to the common folk. What did I know that I’ll soon be rendered a beggar for justice on every door that I go. In the short time of my service, I have had the rare honour of being abused on the dais in an open court,” Indian Express cited the letter as saying.

She accused a district judge of the state judiciary and his associates of sexually harassing her during her stint in the Barabanki civil court.

“I have been sexually harassed to the very limit. I have been treated like utter garbage. I feel like an unwanted insect. And I hoped to provide justice to others,” the judge wrote in the letter that went viral on social media on Thursday (14 December).

The civil judge alleged her senior, the district judge in question, had asked her to meet him at night, as per Hindustan Times (HT).

According to the letter, the judge had complained to the Allahabad High Court chief justice and the administrative judge last year, but no action was taken.

She then approached the internal complaints committee (ICC) of the Allahabad High Court in July this year. “It took six months and a thousand emails just to start an enquiry.”

The woman judicial officer, however, called the inquiry a “farce” and a “sham”.

“The witnesses in the enquiry are immediate subordinates of the district judge. How the committee expects the witnesses to depose against their boss is beyond my understanding,” she reportedly wrote in the letter.

According to The New Indian Express (TNIE), the High Court in July had ordered the forensic science laboratory in Lucknow to examine the CCTV footage that captured the alleged misconduct by the accused.

The complainant further claimed that she sought the transfer of the district judge pending the inquiry to ensure a fair investigation, however, her plea was turned down by the Supreme Court in “just eight seconds.”

“Just one sentence and DISMISSED. I felt like my life, my dignity and my soul have been DISMISSED. It felt like a personal humiliation. The enquiry will now be conducted with the District Judge being in control of all the witnesses. We all know the fate of such an enquiry. What Justice will I give to others when I am myself hopeless?” the letter read.

According to HT, her petition came up before the Supreme Court bench recently which refused to issue any judicial order for the time being, noting that the ICC was already formed on the female judge’s complaint.

Addressing the “working women in India”, the civil judge asked them not to make attempts to “fight against the system”. “If any of the women think that you’ll fight against the system. Let me tell you, I couldn’t. And I am a judge. I could not even muster a fair inquiry for myself. Let alone justice. I advise all women to learn to be a toy or a non-living thing.”

She also indicated in the letter that she attempted suicide in the past. “I have no will to live anymore. I have been rendered to 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. Kindly permit me to end my life in a dignified way. Let my life be: DISMISSED,” The Week cited the letter as saying.

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CJI seeks report

On Thursday evening, Supreme Court’s secretary general Atul M Kurhekar, on the direction of CJI Chandrachud, wrote to the registrar general of the Allahabad High Court asking for the status of the complaints filed by the woman judicial officer, reported NDTV.

The report is expected to be furnished today (15 December).

“The Supreme Court administration, under the direction of the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, has taken the cognisance of the matter on the administrative side and has sought a report from the registrar general of the Allahabad High Court. After the report is received, appropriate follow-up measures will be taken,” people aware of the matter told HT.

With inputs from agencies