A senior judicial officer of Haryana indicted for alleged sexual harassment by a High Court judge has been promoted as a District and Sessions Judge by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

This despite the fact that the High Court judge found evidence against him “prima facie” proved, passed severe strictures for undermining “the faith of the people” in the judiciary and recommended legal action.

Bhiwani District and Sessions Judge Rajinder Kumar Bishnoi has four complaints of sexual harassment against him. Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge Justice Pritam Pal, who was until recently the inspecting judge of Narnaul — where Bishnoi was posted as Additional District and Sessions Judge — found him “prima facie” guilty of sexually harassing three women judicial officials, including a District and Sessions Judge.

“The judicial office is a trust, and the holder thereof is a trustee,” wrote Justice Pal. “If a senior judicial officer acts in a manner as Shri R K Bishnoi acted, then faith of the people, as also of the other lady judicial officers, shall be eroded, in the judicial systems. The conduct of Shri R K Bishnoi is, therefore, condemnable”.

In his 23-page report dated December 18, 2006, a copy of which is with The Indian Express and which was submitted to the Chief Justice of the High Court, Justice Pal recommended action against Bishnoi. Justice Pal said that Bishnoi’s acts of sexual harassment which include, verbal assaults, writing anonymous letters, trespassing into the house of a lady judge and “trying to outrage her modesty in an inebriated condition” constituted criminal offences under the Indian Penal Code.

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