Justice
Indu Malhotra will replace Justice NV Ramana, who withdrew from the three-member Supreme Court panel that will look into the sexual harassment allegations against Chief Justice of India
Ranjan Gogoi.
Justice Ramana stepped down earlier in the day after the woman involved raised objections to his inclusion, saying he was a family friend of the Chief Justice.
Indu Malhotra, the second woman judge in the Supreme Court after Justice
R Bhanumathi, was inducted in April last year. She was a member of the Vishakha Committee which drew up the guidelines to be followed in case of sexual harassment in workplaces across the country.
"Because of this I fear that my affidavit and evidence will not receive an objective and fair hearing," she had said in a letter to the Supreme Court. She had also asked for the inclusion of more women judges in the panel.
Yesterday, the apex court directed chiefs of the CBI, IB and Delhi Police to appear and meet in chambers the three judges who are hearing his claim that there was a larger conspiracy to frame the CJI.
The hearing on April 20 in the case, titled as a matter of "great public importance touching upon the independence of judiciary", was held after stories were published on some news portals about the sexual harassment allegations levelled by a former employee of the apex court against the CJI.