Delhi Court dismisses Delhi Police plea to cancel bail of former SC staffer who accused CJI Ranjan Gogoi of sexual harassment

The court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Manish Khurana at Delhi’s Patiala House Court Complex today “dismissed and disposed of” the Delhi Police’s application for cancellation of the bail granted to former Supreme Court staffer who recently levelled allegations of sexual harassment against the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi.

The former staffer, who served as Junior Court Assistant at the Apex Court, was accused of bribery and charged under Sections 420, 506, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code on a complaint by one, Naveen Kumar. The staffer is presently out on bail. The accused (staffer) was arrested soon after an FIR was filed against her on March 3. She was later sent to judicial custody on March 11 and was released on bail on March 12.

Judge Khurana dismissed the application today after advocate for the staffer, VK Ohri informed the Court that the complainant in the case could not be served notice of the application despite several attempts since earlier this year. The Court, therefore, ordered,

“No fruitful purpose will be served by keeping the bail cancellation application pending. The application is dismissed and disposed of.”

Nobody appeared for the Delhi Police today.

It was alleged by the complainant that the staffer had agreed to accept a consideration in exchange for getting him employmen as a process server or a class IV employee at the Supreme Court. The complainant allegedly made a payment of Rs 50,000 to the accused as an advance. However, when the accused did not follow through on her promise, the complainant met with her in the Supreme Court premises to know about the development regarding his employment.

The complainant alleged that the staffer told him not to meet her in the Supreme Court premises, and threatened to implicate him in a false case. The investigation in the case was taken up by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police. The complainant in the meantime wrote an application to the DCP of the Crime Branch, stating that he was being threatened by the accused and her associates.

In light of these developments, the investigating officer had moved the court for the cancellation of the bail of the accused-staffer.