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MP High Court judge cleared of sexual harassment charges by Rajya Sabha panel

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MP High Court judge cleared of sexual harassment charges by Rajya Sabha panel

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Justice SK Gangele of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has been cleared of the charge of sexual harassment by an inquiry committee constituted by the Rajya Sabha in April 2015 following allegations made against him by a former additional district and sessions judge of Gwalior.

The report of the inquiry committee headed by Supreme Court’s Justice R Banumathi and comprising Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, Justice Manjula Chellur and Attorney General KK Venugopal was tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday shortly after Parliament’s winter session began.

Fifty-eight members of the Rajya Sabha had on March 4, 2015 given a notice to the then Chairman of the House, former Vice President Hamid Ansari for moving a motion for the impeachment of Justice Gangele. The inquiry committee constituted by Hamid Ansari on April 15, 2015 took over 31 months to complete its investigation in the case, while three of its presiding officers were changed during this period. The panel was first formed with Supreme Court’s Justice Vikramjit Sen as the presiding officer who was then replaced with Justice Ranjan Gogoi on February 10, 2016. Justice Rohinton Nariman was next made the presiding officer on March 17, 2016 but was replaced with Justice R Banumathi less than a month later on April 8, 2016.

Justice Gangele had been accused of sexually harassing the woman judge, victimising her “for not submitting to his illegal and immoral demands, transferring her from Gwalior to Sidhi” and “misusing his position as the administrative judge of the High Court” to use the subordinate judiciary to victimise her.

The inquiry committee questioned 22 witnesses – four listed by the complainant including herself, seven on behalf of Justice Gangele and the remaining seven comprising judges of the Madhya Pradesh High Court and district courts and court staff – during its 31-month tenure.

The 135-page report of the inquiry committee, tabled in the Rajya Sabha on Friday, concluded that: “the four instances of sexual harassment alleged by the complainant… are not proved beyond reasonable doubt”. Similarly, it says that the complainant’s allegation that Justice Gangele misused his position using subordinate judiciary to victimize her had also not been proved.

The report also says that the committee found no evidence against Justice Gangele on the complainant’s charge that she had been transferred as Additional District and Sessions Judge from Gwalior to Sidhi because she did not submit to his “illegal and immoral demands”. The Rajya Sabha panel held that the decision of the transfer committee to transfer the woman judge from Gwalior to Sidhi was based on the recommendation by the then district judge Kamal Singh Thakur “who had his own reasons to believe that the complainant was (i) habitual of making unnecessary complaints regarding her staff and non-allocation of substitute staff (ii) she did not use to behave cordially with other judges, especially the civil judges (iii) she made anonymous complaint against the district judge and other judges publicly stating that unlike the previous district judge, administrative skills of the present district judge were not adequate, and thus she should be transferred to some other place.”

However, the panel did conclude that “interference of the respondent judge (Justice Gangele) in transfer of the complainant may be an improper conduct” but qualified its finding by stating: “the same will not amount to ‘misbehaviour’ within the meaning of Article 124 (4) read with Article 217 of the Constitution of India.”

The panel held that the “transfer committee committed an irregularity on solely relying on the recommendation of district judge Kamal Singh Thakur and without making any verification or enquiring on the same, was not justified in transferring the complainant in mid-session. Equally unjustifiable was the rejection of her representations. Transfer of the complainant also does not seem to be in the interest of the administration and, in our view, it was punitive.”

Providing minor relief to the woman judge, the committee held: “in the interest of justice, the complainant has to be re-instated back in the service, in case, if the complainant intends to re-join the service.” Though the committee did not name any specific judge or official of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, it said in its findings that “so far as the Madhya Pradesh high court is concerned… the committee is of the view that there has been a total lack of human face in the transfer of the complainant.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Rahul Gandhi says air pollution in North India a national emergency, tourism declining, global reputation crumbling

“We need a collective national response, not political blame games,” the Congress leader said on his X handle.

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Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the air pollution in North India is a national emergency that needs a collective national response and not a political blame game. The Congress leader added that due to air pollution tourism is declining and “our global reputation is crumbling”.

It is a public health crisis that is stealing children’s future and suffocating the elderly, Gandhi said, adding an environmental and economic disaster that is ruining countless lives.

“As Parliament meets in a few days, MPs will all be reminded of the crisis by our irritated eyes and sore throats. It is our responsibility to come together and discuss how India can end this crisis once and for all,” the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said.

The former Congress chief said the poorest “among us suffer the most”, unable to escape the toxic air surrounding them. Families are gasping for clean air, children are falling sick, and millions of lives are being cut short, he added.

The Rae Bareli MP noted that the pollution cloud covers hundreds of kilometres. He said cleaning it up will require major changes and decisive action from governments, companies, experts, and citizens.

“We need a collective national response, not political blame games,” the Congress leader said on his X handle.

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far.

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Indian Navy submarine collides with fishing boat near Goa coast, 2 fishermen missing

Indian Navy officials on Friday said that an Indian fishing vessel with a crew of 13 collided with an Indian Naval submarine near the Goa coast. 

Following the incident, a massive search and rescue operation has been launched by the Indian Navy, which has deployed six ships and aircraft. Reportedly, while 11 crew have been rescued, two are still missing.

The Ministry of Defence issued a statement and said that the vessel, Marthoma, collided with a Scorpene-class submarine about 70 nautical miles off the Goa coast. It added that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two are underway and are being coordinated with Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Mumbai (MRCC). It further mentioned that additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts.

The statement said that the cause of the incident is being investigated. Notably, Scorpene-class submarines are a major part of India’s naval power in the Indian Ocean as they can undertake multifarious types of missions, including anti-surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, mine laying, and area surveillance.

Reports said that the state-of-the-art technology utilised for the construction of the Scorpene-class submarines has ensured superior stealth features such as advanced acoustic silencing techniques, low radiated noise levels, hydro-dynamically optimized shape and the ability to launch a crippling attack on the enemy using precision-guided weapons. Furthermore, the attack can be launched with both torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles, whilst underwater or on the surface.

Meanwhile, the Indian Navy in its statement said that 13 crew members were aboard the fishing vessel at the time of the collision. It added that while 11 crew have been rescued so far, two fishermen are still reported missing.

A spokesperson from the Navy told the media that eleven crew have been rescued so far. He stated that search and rescue efforts for the remaining two crew members of Marthoma are in progress and are being coordinated with the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC), Mumbai. Additional assets including from the Coast Guard have been diverted to the area to augment the efforts, he continued.

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10 Naxalites killed in encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area.

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Ten Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security forces in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Friday.

The confrontation started in the morning within a forest area under the jurisdiction of the Bhejji police station, where a joint operation was being conducted by security personnel as part of an anti-Naxalite initiative, according to Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P. 

This operation was initiated following intelligence regarding the presence of Maoists connected to the Konta and Kistaram area committees, situated in the forested regions around Korajguda, Dantespuram, Nagaram, and Bhandarpadar villages.

So far, the bodies of ten Naxalites have been recovered at the scene. Additionally, a significant cache of weapons was seized, including an INSAS rifle, an AK-47, and a Self Loading Rifle (SLR). 

The District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) continue their search operation in the area. This incident contributes to the year-to-date total of 207 Naxalite fatalities recorded in various clashes across the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, comprising seven districts. 

On Wednesday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital, North Block. Their discussion focused on developmental progress in Naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh and efforts aimed at enhancing peace and stability in these regions. 

The Chief Minister emphasised that both the state government and security forces are diligently working to eradicate Naxal influence in Chhattisgarh, aligning with the Union Home Minister’s commitment to eliminate Naxalism by 2026.

“I met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and updated him about the Naxal activities in Chhattisgarh. Over the past 11 months, close to 200 Naxals have been neutralized, and approximately 600-700 have surrendered. We are making significant strides towards the goal set by the Prime Minister and Home Minister to achieve a Naxal-free India by March 2026,” CM Sai told reporters following the meeting.

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