Section 144 imposed outside SC after protests against clean chit to CJI

New Delhi, May 07: A group of activists on Tuesday staged a protest outside the Supreme Court in New Delhi over a clean chit to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi in a sexual harassment case.

Section 144 has been imposed outside the SC following the protest by lawyers and women activists against the procedure adopted to deal with sexual harassment case against the CJI, reported ANI.

About 30 women were detained during the demonstration where protesters demanded a fair probe into the allegations levelled by a former Supreme Court staffer, reports said.

On Monday, a three-judge in-house committee probing the allegations of sexual harassment against Justice Gogoi gave a clean chit to the Chief Justice of India, saying it found "no substance" in the sexual harassment allegations.

The former Supreme Court woman staffer, who had levelled allegations of sexual harassment against CJI Ranjan Gogoi, had then reportedly said that her worst fears have come true and all her hopes of justice have been shattered.

According to reports, the committee, comprising justices S A Bobde, Indira Banerjee and Indu Malhotra, wrapped up the inquiry in sittings over four days - three days were devoted to the questioning and recording the statement of the woman complainant who withdrew from the proceedings on the third day, April 30, saying she was being denied access to a lawyer and was "not likely to get justice from this committee", and the fourth day had the CJI appearing before the panel.