Sexual harassment: Woman advocate’s letter goes viral in social media

Khammam: A letter from a woman junior advocate, addressed to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Family Court here complaining of sexual harassment by additional fast-track court public prosecutor Bellam Prathap, has gone viral in social media. The copy of the letter is taking the rounds of various WhatsApp groups.

Advocate Chandravathi stated in the letter, “I am working as a court assistant under Prathap. I learned court proceedings through attending to cases in his office. I am facing sexual harassment at the hands of this public prosecutor and I have opposed his advances several times.” She also stated that she belonged to the SC community.

She said the harassment has been increasing day by day and she explained her trouble to Hymavathi, additional public prosecutor POCSO-1, “who consoled me and asked me to wait for some change in him.”

Chandravati said in the complaint that the additional PP advised her senior not to cross his limits and not harass the woman advocate any more.

She said that one Krishna Mohan and P Srinivas extended their support to Prathap and the trio created troubles for her. “Prathap has promised me a legal advisor post in RTC if I extend cooperation to him by all means,” she said.

Chandravathi said that, in an act of enticement, Prathap told her that he was close to a state minister, who belonged to the Kamma community, and he can do “anything” for her.

She appealed to the court to do justice to her by ordering an inquiry into the allegations she has made.