New Delhi: A Supreme Court advocate has made a stunning claim about the sexual harassment charges levelled against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi. The lawyer, Utsav Bains, has alleged that he was approached by an unidentified man to organise a media conference to “frame” the CJI at the Press Club of India, and to represent the former Supreme Court staffer who has accused Gogoi. In exchange, he claimed, he was offered up to Rs 1.5 crore.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Bains alleged this was a conspiracy by some people who want the CJI to resign. He said he would file an affidavit narrating his experience in the apex court, and added that he would name those allegedly involved.
ThePrint repeatedly tried to get in touch with Bains, but he was unavailable for further comment. However, it is learnt that the draft of the affidavit is being prepared, and will be filed at the earliest.
Facebook post
Bains’s announcement about filing an affidavit comes a day after his startling admission in a Facebook post, where he said: “I was offered bribe to help frame CJI in the sexual harassment case by lawyering and organising a press conference against the CJI for the ex-SC staffer who has accused the CJI of sexual harassment just a few days back and also specifically asked to organise a press conference only at the Press Club of India.”
Bains posted this hours after news of the staffer’s allegations of sexual harassment came out.
He had added: “…(He) claimed to be her relative but on the other hand looked like a trained agent and he also couldn’t satisfactorily reply as to what was his relationship with the ex-SC staffer and then suddenly offered me 50 lacs as my legal fees if I agreed to lawyer and again he asked me specifically to organise a press conference at the PCI after I refused as I found the story facts fishy and also he couldn’t reply to any question about the many loopholes in the story he narrated. When I again refused he said 1.5 cr. I then asked him to leave my office.”
Also read: Independence of judiciary under threat, says CJI after sexual harassment charges against him
‘Conspiracy’ against the judiciary
Bains claimed that when he “enquired more about this issue from reliable sources in Delhi…every information pointed to a larger conspiracy to make the CJI resign”. He alleged that the “kingpin” of this conspiracy “are many Delhi-based SC fixers or those who engage in cash for judgments”.
“After hours of ponder and soul searching, I have decided to speak the truth and file a detailed affidavit in this regard in the SC along with evidences of the conspiracy against the CJI by a lobby of disgruntled judges, SC fixers, corporate scamsters and a few corrupt politicians – all who have meticulously planned the conspiracy to force the CJI to resign as their corrupt works were not going through in SC,” he claimed.
In-house procedure to address the complaint
News reports suggested Saturday that a 35-year-old woman, who worked as a junior court assistant in the Supreme Court, had written to 22 judges of the apex court Friday, alleging that the CJI had sexually harassed her at his residence last year.
CJI Gogoi Saturday denied the sexual harassment charges levelled against him, suggesting that vested interests were threatening the independence of the judiciary.
There is an ‘In-House Procedure’ mandated to look into the complaint. As per the Sexual Harassment of Women at the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, read with the Supreme Court Sexual Harassment Regulations, 2013, the designated committee must take cognisance of the complaint and initiate proceedings accordingly.
At the moment, the decision of the committee is unclear. ThePrint tried to contact Justice Indu Malhotra, who heads the committee. However, there was no response.
Also read: Bar Council of India & National Green Tribunal condemn allegations against CJI Ranjan Gogoi
Mr. Bains is unknown in legal fraternity and why anyone will offer non entity 1.5Cr?Is he working as Safety valves for providing shelter to Mr Ranjan Gogoi ??
Another gimmick by a lawyer to gain himself his minute under the Sun…. Its nothing but an attempt by Mr Bains to gain some cheap popularity for himself…….. He knows that if he feeds the media with such half cooked stories he’ll get his moment of Sunshine….
When he had as he says “Reliable Information,” what did he do then… Why did he not approach the police officer then… If he was s close to the powers that be , why not was this raised earlier… Why did he not identify him earlier….
“After hours of ponder and soul searching,””.. Well all this soul searching came after the media jumped to the story…..
He talks of “conspiracy against the CJI by a lobby of disgruntled judges, SC fixers, …… ” is this not contempt My Lord!!!!!!
If true very serious matter
Supreme Court must step in so that no frivolous allegations are made against judges of the top court
Justice always sides with the person with more power. Eventually the powerful person will have supporters to prove his story and will emerge as the torch bearer of truth – end of story. Why do we even hope otherwise – how foolish of us. Yes Mr. Utsav …. we blindly believe you. We hope your mother and sisters are proud of you.
This advocate must clarify
“How much he received to spread this rumor”!
The same group of people that attacked CJI Deepak Mishra, and hailed Justice Ronjon Gogoi last year, is out to get CJI Gogoi. Justice Chalameshwar met with D Raja of CPI immediately after the press conference and gave away the game. During tenure of CJI Mishra, no tactics was spared to change outcome of a judgement. Be it looking for a sympathetic judge, be it foisting a false case, be it writing editorial using writers with ideological leaning, organising press conference, and filing one PIL after another. When judgement/s did not go in their favour, they engineered a revolution. Flag bearer of revolution today is facing a charge of sexual harassment because important verdicts are to be delivered coming weeks.
So easy to tarnish an image. A chief justice of India harassing an employee at the fag end of his career. An employee who would have very little opportunity to be alone with the judge. A charge that can incapacitate a judge and force him to go out of his position till the case is resolved. What a great tactics to get a judge of their choice by removing an inconvenient person.
People organising such a plot are venal, venomous and ruthless. Right wing people are called crass and boorish. I would rather be with people whom I can recognise compare to poisonous snakes who does not hesitate to permanently stain a person’s reputation they don’t like.
Well said, Mr. Ray
Have just read the edits in The Hindu and Indian Express. Both expect due process, a fair, impartial enquiry, justice for the lady if she has been wronged. Also urge the institution to live up to its very high standards.
It is no coincidence that Congi sympathetic portals started playing the same story with same questionaire at exactly the same time followed with psedu inteelectuals tweeting on the same…..Congi cancer is deep rooted
Shame on you Utsav Bains. Shame on you for lying so brazenly. Imagine if this poor lady was your own mother or sister. The CJI must resign immediately if he has any decency whatsoever.
Wtf is ongoing in this country?
This episode by Mr.Bains is just a gimmick being relayed to misdirect the entire occurrence just to save the CJI who can then be used to better the cause of the current establishment for sake of political gains by them. The fact of the matter is that something like this must have occurred. It is not necessarily that the CJI is an open book to his better half too. It is a great possibility that something like this could have occurred and can be easily traced by proper investigations. This matter as clearly requested should be tried by a group of retired judges. Only.
What are the chances that that unidentified man was a BJP “sympathizer”? If the intelligence “failure” at Pulwama is investigated, what are the chances that the needle of suspicion will point towards a BJP “sympathizer”? Mind you, I am not saying that the acts in the two cases were green-signalled by the highest BJP leadership, which would directly or almost-directly mean Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. But an honest point is, how do you control “sympathizers”, who may be in thousands and lakhs? !
Unidentified man would be Congress sympathizer. Congress tried to manipulate former CJI through Rajya Sabha. This CJI was not what Congress expected. Now there is case of Rahul Gandhi before supreme court. Indira Jaising,, wire, etc. are Congress sympathizer. So it is secu jamat which is trying to manipulate judiciary as they are losing lection.
Harry, don’t forget the Rafale case which is before the Supreme Court, and it was recently re-opened by a bench headed by the CJI when Mr Modi and everyone else in the BJP had already gone to town saying that Mr Modi had got a clean chit from the Supreme Court. Far from it. No clean chit has been handed out, and it’s 99% likely that Mr Modi will be caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Pilfering cookies for himself or the BJP, that’s a different matter. But the way he has found a new love for materialism, it could be both. Anil Ambani is just a front, a pawn. At the most a paid pawn. Which is the case of Rahul Gandhi in SC you talk about, the one about contempt or something like that?
Whereas no date has been fixed for the Rafale case, RaGa has to face the music today. Also, a clean chit was definitely was given but the case has been reopened for two reasons (1) the govt wanted the SC to revise its verdict in view of the misinterpretation of the govt views on the CAG report in the matter and (2) some anti- nationals had stolen/photocopied sensitive documents pertaining to India’s security and wanted the SC to revisit the entire issue in the light new ‘revelations;’ Modi is incorruptible. The case against RaGa is that of the contempt of court. He committed it contempt when he said that ‘even the SC has said that the chowkidar is a chor’ when the SC never said anything like that.
Mr. Bains, Advocate …”alleged that the “kingpin” of this conspiracy “are many Delhi-based SC fixers or those who engage in cash for judgments”.
Does this indicate that there are many SC Judges who issue judgements against cash payments”?
There can’t be fixers unless there are who can be “fixed”. Coming from an advocate who is expected to file an affidavit in SC w.r.t. to a serious allegation against CJI indicates something very serious matter indeed !
Given the very awkward situation that has been created, the enquiry could be entrusted to a retired CJI(s). It should try to come to a definitive conclusion with the least possible delay. Such a cloud should not linger. In the normal course, the grave allegations Mr Bains is making ought to have been enquired into by the CBI. However, apart from its own issues, it would go against the very grain of judicial independence if an agency controlled by the executive is permitted to enter such a sensitive domain.
On a lighter note, Mr Bains should have chosen any outlet other than ANI.