'Sex assault' case: Justice Swatanter Kumar moves HC seeking to restrain media

Former Supreme Court judge and National Green Tribunal chairperson Swatanter Kumar on Wednesday moved the Delhi high court seeking to restrain the media from reporting the alleged sexual assault case of his former woman law intern.

Justice Kumar has also sought a whopping Rs 5 crore as damages from two English news channels and a leading English daily for defaming him in the case.

A battery of senior lawyers, including Maninder Singh and N K Kaul, mentioned the civil suit before Justice G S Sistani at 10.30 am and sought an urgent hearing of the petition.

Justice Sistani, who is in-charge judge of civil suits filed in the high court, ordered hearing of the petition on Wednesday itself.

"Besides seeking damages, Justice Kumar has also sought an injunction to the reportage in the case," senior advocate Maninder Singh told PTI.

According to the intern, the alleged harassment took place in May 2012 when he was a sitting judge of the apex court.

Meanwhile, a separate hearing is going on in the Supreme Court on the plea of the former intern seeking inquiry against Justice Kumar.

The apex court on Wednesday issued notice to the Centre on the intern's plea in which she has also sought setting up of permanent mechanism in judicial bodies to address complaints of sexual harassment at workplace.