UP Civil Judge Arpita Sahu detailed the upsetting encounters in a two-page letter, describing instances of harassment and inappropriate requests that allegedly went unanswered despite repeated complaints
In a startling turn of events, Civil Judge Arpita Sahuโwho is presently assigned to the Uttar Pradesh district of Bandaโhas written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) requesting authorisation to terminate her life. The letter describes in full the disturbing encounters with the district judge as well as the alleged physical and emotional torment she suffered while posted in Barabanki.
Who is Arpita Sahu Banda UP civil judge as she seeks permission from CJI to end her life due to s*xual assault
"citing instances of inappropriate demands and harassment that reportedly went unaddressed despite continuous complaints"
It's the painful state of a judge https://t.co/HT83T7moYJ— D (@Deb_livnletliv) December 14, 2023
Judge Sahu detailed the upsetting encounters in a two-page letter, describing instances of harassment and inappropriate requests that allegedly went unanswered despite repeated complaints. She said that she was under pressure to meet at night by the district judge. She wrote to the CJI to ask for permission to end her life because she felt that nothing was being done about her complaints.
Judge Sahu’s letter was read that she had the uncommon honour of being abused on dias in open court during the brief time of her employment. She had experienced extreme s*xual harassment and received appalling treatment. Even though she wanted to give people justice, she had the feeling of an undesired bug. She also wanted to advise all Indian working women to accept sexual harassment as a fact of life and learn how to deal with it. She went on to say that the POSH ACT is a big, healthy falsehood that has been told to them as nobody cared about them or paid attention to them.
Judge Sahu filed a complaint against attorneys Ritesh Mishra and Mohan Singh in 2022 while she was employed at Ramsanehighat in Barabanki, alleging that they had used derogatory language against her. The forensic science lab in Lucknow was given an order by the Allahabad High Court in July to examine the CCTV footage showing the misbehaviour of attorneys Mishra and Singh toward her.
CJI DY Chandrachud has a high regard for women
CJI DY Chandrachud has a reputation for having liberal views on women and for speaking out frequently in favour of their rights. He said in October that more women are joining the courts, which he described as a sign of changing times.
Thus, it will be interesting to see where this story goes. Hopefully, the victim receives justice.