Complaint against Karnataka judge wasn't handled as per Supreme Court guidelines: Government writes to CJI

NEW DELHI: The government is learnt to have written to Chief Justice Dipak Misra that a complaint of sexual harassment against a district court judge in Karnataka was not handled according to the guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court while considering his case for elevation to the High Court.

The letter written by Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad comes days after Justice J Chelameswar, the second senior most judge of the apex court after CJI Dipak Misra, wrote to Supreme Court judges alleging the government is stalling the appointment of P K Bhat even after a discreet probe by the Karnataka high court had absolved him.

The three-page letter was written last week, sources in the government aware of it said today.

Earlier, the sources had claimed that the Supreme Court collegium had disregarded a complaint of sexual harassment made by a woman judicial officer against Bhat, while considering his name for elevation to the Karnataka High Court on two occasions.

Rejecting Justice Chelameswar's charge that the executive was stalling the judiciary's recommendations on appointments, they had said the government was in no hurry to take a call on the recommendation of the collegium to elevate Bhat.

Justice Chelameswar had urged the CJI to consider convening a full court to take up the issue of alleged executive interference in the working of the judiciary.