An intimate relationship between a female court staffer and a senior additional sessions judge was allegedly captured on camera in his official chambers at Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court, leading to the judge’s suspension.
According to sources who spoke to the media, Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma of the Delhi High Court spoke with a few senior colleagues before making the “administrative” decision to suspend the judge and the female staff member who worked with him pending their explanations.
It is not ruled out that the judge may be fired. Judicial authorities asked that neither the woman’s name nor the name of the judge who handles CBI and anti-corruption cases be made public.
The use of Google, WhatsApp, YouTube, and Twitter’s services to disseminate the allegedly explicit sexual content video is now forbidden, according to directions from the single-judge Delhi High Court bench of Justice Yashwant Varma.
The Union Ministry for Electronics and Information and Technology was also ordered by the court to take all necessary precautions to stop the internet distribution of the film, which was reportedly taken on March 9 but has been extensively shared since Tuesday.
The decision was made in response to a request for an injunction on the video’s distribution made by a female court employee.
Considering the delicate nature of the situation, Justice Varma made the decision ex parte and during closed-door sessions in his chambers without giving any formal notice to the internet platforms.
The female employee’s request that her identify be kept hidden throughout the proceedings was likewise granted by the court.
“This motion has been submitted requesting concealing of the plaintiff’s name and to conduct the hearing of the current litigation in camera chamber,” said Justice Varma’s ruling, which was posted late on Wednesday night. The request to obfuscate and use a pseudonym in place of the plaintiff’s name and other information is granted.
It stated that if the injunction against the distribution of the film was broken, the plaintiff would be permitted to sue all four implicated web sites as well as the Union electronics and IT ministry.
“This suit has been taken on urgent mentioning and in light of the imminent and irreparable harm that is likely to be caused to the plaintiff. The suit seeks issuance of a permanent injunction restraining the defendants (the four online platforms), their associates, sister concerns, agents and others from publishing/ re-publishing/ telecasting, in any manner, a purported video dated 09 March 2022 which is stated to be circulating on various social media platforms as well as web portals since 29 November 2022,” the high court said.
“Further prayers are made for disabling the users of the services provided by the (four platforms) from sharing or forwarding the video in question over their platforms. The registrar-general has also… requested defendant No. 5 (Union electronics and IT ministry) to issue appropriate take-down orders.”
