#MeToo movement: 4 women MPs walk out of RS protesting Ranjan Gogoi’s maiden speech

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 7

As part of their protest four women members of Rajya Sabha today walked out of the House when nominated member Ranjan Gogoi, who had faced sexual harassment allegations during his stint as Chief Justice of India, was making his maiden speech.

Those who staged the walk out in protest included Jaya Bachchan of Samajwadi Party, Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT), Vandana Chavan of NCP and Sushmita Dev of the TMC.

Gogoi for the first time participated in the discussion in Rajya Sabha and supported the controversial Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

In his submission he said, “What is pending before the Supreme Court is the validity of the ordinance, and the two questions referred to the Constitution bench, and that has nothing to do with what is being debated in the House,” Gogoi said, adding: “The law doesn’t appear to be arbitrary. In my respectful submission, the bill is perfectly valid.”

Former CJI Gogoi had in 2019 faced charges of sexual misconduct from an ex-staffer in his office that brought back the spotlight on the #MeToo movement, in which women across the board spoke about episodes of sexual harassment at the workplace. But he had had denied allegations claiming it was an attempt by a bigger force to “deactivate the office of the Chief Justice of India because sensitive matters” was to be heard by the court.

The Supreme Court-appointed committee conducting an in-house inquiry into sexual harassment charges gave clean chit to Gogoi, saying “no substance” in the accusations leveled by a former employee in his office.

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