In a heart-wrenching open letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India , a civil judge from Uttar Pradesh reveals a harrowing tale of abuse, sexual harassment, and a systemic failure of justice within the judicial system. The judge, whose identity remains undisclosed, expresses an urgent plea for permission to end their life, exposing the distressing challenges faced by working women in India.
The judge, once enthusiastic about dispensing justice to the common people, narrates a shocking account of abuse right on the dias in an open court, relentless sexual harassment, and a prevailing atmosphere of degradation. The distressing revelation is a stark contrast to the judge's initial aspirations to serve justice.
In a grim message to all working women in India, the judge advises them to accept and endure sexual harassment, asserting that the Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) Act is a deceptive illusion. The judge claims that any attempt to report such harassment results in torture and subjugation, even within the supposed sanctuaries of justice, including the Supreme Court.
"If any of the women think that you'll fight against the system, let me tell you, I couldn't. And I am JUDGE. I could not even a muster a fair enquiry for myself, Let alone JUSTICE. I advise all women to learn to be a toy, or a non-living thing," the judge writes.
The judge discloses personal experiences of sexual harassment by a particular District Judge and associates, recounting a night meeting request and subsequent distress. Shockingly, the judge alleges that complaints to the Chief Justice of Allahabad and an Administrative Judge in 2022 yielded no action or inquiry into the matter.
Despite lodging a complaint with the Internal Complaints Committee of the High Court in July 2023, the judge expresses frustration at the prolonged delays and perceived bias in the ensuing investigation. The judge highlights the fundamental flaw in the proposed inquiry, as witnesses are reportedly subordinates under the control of the accused District Judge.
The judge's plea for a fair inquiry and the transfer of the accused during the proceedings went unanswered. A writ petition seeking intervention from the Supreme Court was summarily dismissed in just eight seconds, the judge alleged in her open letter.
The judge expresses a loss of will to live, describing herself as a "walking corpse" with no purpose left in life.
"Just one sentence and DISMISSED. I felt like my life, my dignity and my soul have been DISMISSED. It felt like a personal humiliation. The enquiry will now be conducted with the District Judge being in control of all the witnesses. We all know the fate of such an enquiry. What Justice will I give to others when I am myself hopeless? I have no will to live anymore. I have been rendered to a Walking Corpse in the last year and a half. There is no purpose in carrying this soulless and lifeless body around anymore. There is no purpose left in my life. Kindly permit me to end my life in a dignified way. Let my life be: DISMISSED," (sic) the letter concludes.
