NEWSLINKS
US EDITION
COLUMNISTS
DIARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
ELECTIONS
ARCHIVES

Search Rediff

Rediff Shopping

Shop & gift from thousands of products!   Books     Music       Apparel   Jewellery   Flowers   More..      Safe Shopping

Court employee alleges district judge harassed her

Kamla Bora in Jaipur

A lady employee in a lower court has accused a district judge in Jhalawar in southern Rajasthan of sexually harassing her and victimising her when she spurned his advances.

Lower Division Clerk Sandhya Bhardwaj, currently posted in Kota, was presented before the press by the People's Union for Civil Liberties and several women's organisations at the Press Club in Jaipur where she narrated incidents of alleged sexual overtures by the district judge.

She said the judge called her to his home in April last year and tried to molest her. When she resisted, he apologised. But he continued to make obscene gestures and sexual advances, Bhardwaj alleged. When she refused to give in, she claimed the judge started harassing and victimising her.

"He transferred me to different courts eight times in a year. At his behest, the local police tortured me in custody by registering false charges," she added.

She accused Rajiv Dutta, the officer in charge of the Kotwali police station, and Sub-Inspector Ashis Bhargava of torturing her in custody and taking her to the judge's home, where he allegedly threatened her with dire consequences.

"They said I had illicit relations with an office colleague. On February 12 this year, the police took me, my son and a colleague to the station and physically and mentally tortured us," she said.

After her transfer to Kota in June, she complained to the chief justice of the Rajasthan high court, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and the state Human Rights Commission, but to no avail.

However, when representatives from PUCL and other women's organisations took her to meet the chief justice, she was allowed to meet him.

Kavita Srivastava, spokesperson of the women's organisations, said the chief justice assured Bhardwaj that she would get justice soon. The CJ said he was getting the charges inquired into.

Women activists also took her to meet Gehlot, who ordered an inquiry by a deputy inspector general of police into her alleged torture in police custody.

Back to top

Tell us what you think of this report