NEW DELHI: Justice N V Ramana, part of 3-member in-house inquiry panel set up to examine the allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, recused himself from it on Thursday.
An apex court source said that Justice Ramana has opted himself out of the inquiry panel headed by Justice S A Bobde.
The development comes a day after the former apex court woman employee, who levelled the allegations against the CJI, wrote a letter to the panel expressing reservation over the inclusion of Justice Ramana.
Expressing concern over the manner in which an in-house committee was constituted to probe allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, the complainant on Wednesday wrote to members of the panel seeking the recusal of Justice N V Ramana for a fair inquiry.
On Tuesday, a three-judge panel comprising of Justices SA Bobde, NV Ramana and Indira Banerjee was constituted to probe the allegations.
“I was posted in the CJI’s residence office. I know that Justice Ramana is a close friend of the CJI and is like a family member to him. He is a frequent visitor to the residence of the CJI. Because of this, I fear that my affidavit and evidence will not receive an objective and fair hearing,” the four-page letter stated.
READ| Woman who accused CJI of sexual harassment objects to inclusion of Justice Ramana in judges’ panel