A Division Bench led by Justice K.K. Sasidharan of the Madras High Court on Monday recused from hearing a batch of writ appeals preferred by an Inspector General of Police challenging orders passed by a single judge of the court in cases related to a complaint of sexual harassment lodged against the officer by a woman Superintendent of Police (SP).
The judge recused after V. Selvaraj, counsel for the SP, expressed reservations over arguing the case before the Bench and wondered if he would get justice. The advocate, however, refused to divulge further details in the open court and said he was prepared even to go to jail if he was to be hauled up for contempt of court for making such submissions.
The appeals had been preferred against orders passed by Justice S.M. Subramaniam on February 14 directing an Internal Complaints Committee constituted under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013 to continue with its probe into a complaint lodged by the woman officer. The judge had also ordered the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department to continue with its parallel probe into a criminal complaint lodged by the woman officer against her superior.
