New Delhi:
A young lawyer who alleged that a Supreme Court judge sexually harassed her has said she felt looked upon with suspicion and "humiliated" when she appeared before a panel of judges probing her allegation.
In an interview to the Wall Street Journal, the lawyer has also said she felt for a long time that seeking legal recourse would do her "more harm than good" as the Indian legal system was not equipped to sensitively deal with crimes against women. (read: intern's interview to Wall Street Journal)
"In cases of assaults, where there is no physical evidence, it's one word against the other, really. There's no reason why a law graduate would have won over a judge with a spotless record. Even now, for instance, when I appear before the panel, I feel I'm being looked at with suspicious eye. I have to constantly justify that I'm not lying; I'm not making up this story. I feel humiliated," she says.
Last week, after deposing before the Supreme Court panel for the second time, she had said that she had complete faith in the inquiry. (read)
In her blog, she had written that the judge harassed her on Christmas Eve in a hotel room in Delhi. She did not name the judge, but said that he has since retired.
The lawyer has revealed that it took her time to come to term with the alleged assault.
"When I finally did, all that I wanted to do was to erase the memory from my conscience. This was a man I had admired, I looked up to him," she said. "Indeed, I pondered over the idea of legal recourse, but feared it would do more harm than good. First, my case would have dragged on for years. Second, defence lawyers would make me relive every violating moment in court - something I wanted to bury at the time."
In an interview to the Wall Street Journal, the lawyer has also said she felt for a long time that seeking legal recourse would do her "more harm than good" as the Indian legal system was not equipped to sensitively deal with crimes against women. (read: intern's interview to Wall Street Journal)
"In cases of assaults, where there is no physical evidence, it's one word against the other, really. There's no reason why a law graduate would have won over a judge with a spotless record. Even now, for instance, when I appear before the panel, I feel I'm being looked at with suspicious eye. I have to constantly justify that I'm not lying; I'm not making up this story. I feel humiliated," she says.
Last week, after deposing before the Supreme Court panel for the second time, she had said that she had complete faith in the inquiry. (read)
In her blog, she had written that the judge harassed her on Christmas Eve in a hotel room in Delhi. She did not name the judge, but said that he has since retired.
The lawyer has revealed that it took her time to come to term with the alleged assault.
"When I finally did, all that I wanted to do was to erase the memory from my conscience. This was a man I had admired, I looked up to him," she said. "Indeed, I pondered over the idea of legal recourse, but feared it would do more harm than good. First, my case would have dragged on for years. Second, defence lawyers would make me relive every violating moment in court - something I wanted to bury at the time."
Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world
