Employer comes in support of intern in sexual harassment case

New Delhi: A law intern, who has alleged sexual harassment by a recently-retired Supreme Court judge, has got support and solidarity from her employer NGO.

The young woman intern first came out in public by writing her experience and ordeal in a blog of NGO 'Natural Justice: Lawyers for Communities and the Environment', with which she has been working.

Taking note of her allegation, Chief Justice P. Sathasivam had appointed a three-member panel comprising justices R. M. Lodha, H L Dattu and Ranjana Prakash Desai to look into it. The NGO, a not-for-profit association registered in South Africa, in a statement on its website expressed solidarity with the intern about her going public.

It said recently one of their fellows (intern) in India made a personal decision to write about her experience with sexual harassment. "We condemn every form of harassment, assault and abuse of women, including in the legal profession itself.

Women who face such attacks and decide to come forward with their experiences in the hopes of preventing others from facing the same are extraordinarily brave and must be supported in their individual struggles as we collectively strive for a world free of discrimination and injustice.

"We stand in solidarity with our team member and request all media to respect her privacy. Natural Justice will not respond to requests for comments or further information," the NGO said.

The intern, in the blog, had accused the recently retired judge of having misbehaved with her in a hotel room last December when the nation was grappling with the gangrape of a 23-year-old woman in the capital. On November 18, the intern appeared before the panel and gave details of the incident and on November 21, she had sent certain applications and affidavits to the panel.