Tribune News Service
New Delhi, June 3
Over a month after being asked to probe into an alleged conspiracy to force Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to resign by implicating him in a false sexual harassment case, Justice AK Patnaik has asked for more information from the CBI, Delhi Police and the Intelligence Bureau to get to the bottom of the plot.
Only after perusing the material sought from the three agencies, Justice Patnaik will make up his mind about the veracity of
the claim, sources said, adding his report may not be ready by July.
While assigning the probe to Justice Patnaik, a three-judge Special Bench of Justice Arun Mishra, Justice Rohinton F Nariman and Justice Deepak Gupta had on April 25 ordered
the CBI Director, Intelligence Bureau Director and Delhi Police Commissioner to extend assistance to him “as and when required during his inquiry.”
His appointment followed a stunning allegation made by advocate Utsav Bains, who had claimed that there was a conspiracy to force the CJI to resign and that he was offered a bribe of Rs 1.5 crore for it.
Justice Gogoi too had said some “bigger force” wanted to “deactivate” the office of the CJI. The top court had asked Bains to submit all the documents and material he had to Justice Patnaik.
An in-house inquiry panel of Justice SA Bobde, Justice Indu Malhotra and Justice Indira Banerjee has already given a clean chit to the CJI on the allegations of sexual harassment levelled by a dismissed woman employee of the top court. It was only after the in-house inquiry panel completed its probe that Justice Patnaik commenced his investigation.
On the completion of the probe, Justice Patnaik is expected to file a sealed cover report before the top court, which will further look into the allegations of conspiracy to frame the CJI in a false sexual harassment case, as alleged by Bains. The Supreme Court had asserted that it would take the matter to its logical conclusion.
SC widens probe in UP shelter home case
- Widening the scope of probe into the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex abuse case, the Supreme Court on Monday gave three months to the CBI to complete its probe
- A Vacation Bench headed by Justice Indu Malhotra asked the agency to look into suspected murders, and investigate “outsiders” allegedly involved in assaulting minor girls
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/319dMVE
via Today’s News Headlines
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