Conspiracy against CJI Ranjan Gogoi, says Supreme Court lawyer

Guwahati, April 22, 2019:

Utsav Bains, a Supreme Court Lawyer, has claimed that the sexual harassment charge against Ranjan Gogoi is controversy meant to remove the Chief Justice of India (CJI) from office.

The Harvard educated lawyer said an unidentified man approached him with a bribe of around Rs 1.5 crore to organize a media conference and "frame" the CJI at the Press Club of India, as well as to represent the former Supreme Court staffer who has leveled allegations of sexual misconduct against Gogoi.

In a Facebook post, Gains wrote: "I was offered bribe to help frame CJI in the sexual harassment case by lawyering and organizing a press conference against the CJI for the ex-SC staffer who has accused the CJI of sexual harassment just a few days back and also specifically asked to organize a press conference only at the Press Club of India."

Utsav Bains posted this hours after news of the allegations of sexual harassment against CJI Ranjan Gogoi was made public. The SC lawyer is known for representing a victim in the rape case against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, who was found guilty in the case last year.

In the post, Bains claimed that when he refused to oblige, the man claimed that he was a relative of the woman who had accused Asaram Bapu of rape but failed to explain his relationship with the former Supreme Court employee who had made sexual harassment allegations against CJI Gogoi.