NEW DELHI, Apr 29: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking to restrain the media from publishing allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi by a former Supreme Court employee.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Rajendra Menon dismissed the plea filed by an NGO and said the top court is already seized of the matter and no interference was needed.
“Go to the Supreme Court,” said the bench to NGO Anti-Corruption Council of India, which had said publication of allegations against the CJI directly hit the Indian judicial system.
The petition had sou-ght immediate restriction on the media from further telecasting or publishing the allegations till conclusion of the three-judge panel’s inquiry.
The allegations levelled by the former woman employee of the SC are being inquired into by a three-judge panel of the apex court which held its first proceeding last Friday.
Besides electronic and print media, the plea had also sought directions for social media platforms.
The petition had arrayed as parties the ministries of law & justice and information & broadcasting, the Delhi government, the Press Council of India and the Delhi police commissioner.
Directions had been sought for WhatsApp, Google, YouTube and LinkedIn Corporation, and news website Scroll.in.
The plea had alleged that it suspected involvement of “antinational elements” in this act and if publication of these allegations was not restricted, “people will lose faith in the Indian judicial system,” and the “vast damage” caused to the nation and its people would be “irreparable.” (PTI)
