Time to stand up with judiciary: Jaitley

New Delhi, April 21

Accusing ‘institutional disrupters’ of destabilising the institution of Chief Justice of India (CJI) by lending shoulder to unverified allegations against the head of the apex court, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday suggested that those who peddle falsehood should be dealt with in an exemplary manner.

“It’s Time to Stand up With the Judiciary,” Jaitley said in his blog, a day after allegations of sexual harassment surfaced against CJI Ranjan Gogoi. The Supreme Court even held an extraordinary hearing on Saturday after a former employee of the apex court accused the CJI of sexual harassment and persecution. The former employee has described two incidents of alleged molestation by Gogoi in her affidavit, both of which allegedly took place in October 2018, only days after he was appointed as the CJI.

The minister said those who “peddle falsehood to destroy the institution are not dealt with in an exemplary manner, this trend will only accelerate.” The incident of a junior ex-lady employee of the Supreme Court making harassment charges against the Chief Justice of India has acquired a “disproportionate magnitude”, Jaitley said.

“Such complaints, when they are made in the ordinary course of any administrative functioning, are referred to the appropriate committee. However, when the complainant distributes copies of her representation to other Judges of the Supreme Court and the media in order to sensationalise her allegations, it ceases to be routine.

“When four digital media organisations with an unparalleled track record of ‘institutional disruption’ send similar questionnaires to the Chief Justice of India, there is obviously something more than what meets the eye,” the minister added. Jaitley regretted that last few years have witnessed the consolidation of ‘institution destabilisers’ in a major way. “For the ‘institutional disruptors’ there are no red lines,” he wrote. — PTI

CJI extremely well regarded

In terms of personal decency, values, ethics and integrity, the present Chief Justice of India is extremely well regarded… lending shoulder to completely unverified allegations… is aiding the process of destabilisation of the institution of the Chief Justice of India. — Arun Jaitley, Finance minister