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CJI Protest: Cops Ordered ‘Pakad ke Rakho’, Says Detained Activist

Around 50 women activists and lawyers were detained by the Delhi Police citing Section 144 from outside the SC.

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India
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Video Editor: Ashutosh Bhardwaj
Video Producer: Anubhav Mishra

Theatre artist and activist Maya Rao, who was among the 50 odd women detained by the Delhi police from outside the Supreme Court premises for protesting against the alleged “failure of due process” in the CJI sexual harassment case, said, “We were manhandled, dragged into buses against our will.”

“I was there outside the Supreme Court like many other women, completely shocked the the highest court of the country was flouting its own rules. But the meeting was dispersed and we were walking back when a ring of women police officers closed in, asked us to get into their buses. As we approached the bus, the police officers closed in further and started manhandling us, pushing us.”
Maya Rao

She said there were two senior male police officers who were constantly giving instructions, “Pakad ke rakho, Pakad ke rakho!”

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Rao says since the time the women were brought to the Mandir Marg police station, they have constantly been given contradictory information on when they will be released and what the future course of action would be.

Around 50 women activists and lawyers were detained on Tuesday, 7 May, from outside the Supreme Court during a protest against the clean chit given to CJI Gogoi in the sexual harassment case.

Delhi Police PRO Madhur Verma told The Quint that the women were detained because Section 144 CrPC is always imposed outside the top court since it is a “sensitive” area. Verma claimed that the Delhi Police had initially asked the women to move the protest to Jantar Mantar as it is the designated site for protests.

One of the detained protestors, Vasavi, says the police did not ask them to go to Jantar Mantar. “The police just herded us and said we were violating Section 144.”

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Background

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, on Monday, 6 May, got a clean chit from the Supreme Court's In-House Inquiry Committee which "has found no substance" in the allegations of sexual harassment levelled against him by a former woman employee of the apex court.

The three-member Committee, which completed its task in 14 days, proceeded ex-parte as the woman had opted out of the inquiry on 30 April after participating for three days.

Immediately after the office of apex court's Secretary General came out with the findings of the committee, the woman issued a press statement saying that she was "highly disappointed and dejected".

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