Amidst allegations against CJI, Arun Jaitley writes a blog: It’s time to stand up with the Judiciary

In the light of the sexual harassment allegations against Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi by an ex-employee of his office, the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs Arun Jaitley has written a blog wherein he has voiced out his faith in the Indian Judicial system and especially the "head of the judicial institution'.

Arun Jaitley has rubbished the allegations stating that the Chief Justice Gogoi is known for his strong values and ethics. These unverified allegations are are not just made by a desgrunted individual but are forwarded by 'institutional destabilizer' who want to snatch the faith in judiciary from the citizens of the country.

"The Chief Justice of India is the first amongst the equals in the Supreme Court. He is the head of the judicial institutions. He is both the 'Master of the Roster' and the ‘Head of the Collegium’ which makes binding recommendations for the appointment of judges. His integrity, ethics, scholarship and fairness reflect the image of India’s judiciary. He lives by example. For both the Chief Justice and the judicial institutions, credibility and respect are essential. Once the ‘Iqbal’ of judiciary is destroyed, the institution itself will crumble," Arun Jaitley wrote in his blog.

In the light of the MeToo movement this blog supporting the Chief Justice is a step backwards for women coming out in open to narrate their work-place harassment complaints. The woman who had filed the complaint was terminated arbitrarily after she did not accede to the sexual advances of the Chief Justice. She has stated in her complaint that even her family members have been harassed in lieu of the entire incident.