New Delhi: Naveen Kumar, the 31-year-old man from Jhajjar, Haryana, who had levelled charges of bribery against the woman who pressed sexual harassment charges against Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi is apparently missing since April, Delhi police told a Delhi court on July 19.Kumar had filed an FIR saying that the former Supreme Court employee and her husband had taken Rs 50,000 from him on the promise of getting him a job at the apex court. However, the woman, in her affidavit, had claimed that the said case against her was “false and frivolous” and that she was being victimised by influential people for complaining against the CJI.According to the Indian Express, the Delhi police crime branch, which is currently handling the bribery case, told the chief metropolitan magistrate Manish Khurana, that it could not find Kumar at his residential address mentioned in the FIR since April. Khurana has in fact been calling for Kumar’s presence at the court hearings. He issued three notices to Kumar between April 23 and July 19, however the investigating officer Mukesh Antil told the court that the notices were unserved because of Kumar’s absence at his home.“The notice issued to the complainant received back unserved and he was not found present at his address, and the investigating officer informed that the notice was attempted to be served to the complainant through process server ASI Lal Singh,” Antil was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.Also Read: Former Supreme Court Employee Alleges Sexual Harassment by Chief Justice GogoiThe court has now issued another notice to him, asking him to be present at the next court hearing on September 6.The police’s claim is interesting because one of the reporters who was investigating the sexual harassment case against the CJI had met Kumar at his workplace in the third week of April.Reporters from three publications – The Wire, Scroll and The Caravan – had investigated the story on sexual harassment allegations against the CJI together and had tried to contact multiple people who figure in the affidavit to corroborate the complainant’s claims. The Caravan‘s reporter met Kumar during this investigation.The alleged bribery caseThe bribery case has witnessed several twists and turns since the FIR was filed. First, the Delhi police transferred the case, which would qualify as a minor bribery allegation, to the crime branch, which generally takes up only high-profile criminal cases. Then in the last hearing, the crime branch sought the cancellation of bail granted to the woman in the case, on grounds that she and her husband were threatening Kumar.All these developments make it apparent that Kumar had been in touch with the investigative officers, who were speaking on his behalf at the court hearings. The police’s claim that he has been missing since April is surprising in this context, and shows the conduct of the police in poor light.As a result, the woman’s claim that her family is being victimised through this case gains more weight.Also Read: Gogoi Confidant Held ‘Inquiry’ Which Sacked Woman Complainant from Supreme CourtAfter Kumar filed his FIR on March 3, she was arrested on March 10 for alleged cheating, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy. She was sent to judicial custody for two days before being granted bail on March 12.Kumar had claimed that he was introduced to the woman and her husband by one Mansa Ram, now dead, who assured him that the couple could get him a job at the Supreme Court. He alleged that the couple had demanded Rs 10 lakh to get the job done. He also claimed that he had given an advance amount of Rs 50,000 in cash at the very first meeting with them at the court’s premises.Kumar claimed that he was introduced to the woman and her husband by one Mansa Ram, now dead, who assured him that the couple could get him a job at the Supreme Court. Photo: PTIWho is Kumar?Belonging to a modest family in Jasaur Kheri village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, Kumar was employed as a security guard at H L City Pvt Ltd in Bahadurgarh when the Caravan‘s reporter met him on April 21. The joint investigation had reported that despite Kumar’s voluntary admission that he bribed the woman and her husband, no police action was initiated against him.In the brief meeting the reporter had with Kumar, he did not divulge much details about the bribery case, except saying that he wanted to drop the FIR. “Bohot tension ho raha hai (It is too much stress),” he said and complained about frequent police visits to his home and office.He also remained unsure about the date on which he met the woman and her husband. He also could not answer clearly why he was carrying Rs 50,000 in cash when he was meeting the couple for the first time. He also said he did not know how Mansa Ram, the intermediary, knew the woman and her husband.When asked why he had moved for the cancellation of the woman’s bail if he wanted to drop the FIR, he said he did not want to talk about the matter at all.Throughout the conversation, Kumar’s boss kept intervening to complete and clarify his responses, and even asked the reporter to stay away from this case, apparently because many influential people were involved in it.Also Read: Delhi Police Reinstate Husband, Kin of Woman Who Alleged Sexual Harassment by CJI GogoiAfter the story on the harassment allegations broke, at least two media houses – The Print and The Indian Express – visited Kumar’s house and met his mother.His mother Meena too told The Print that there were “powerful people” involved in the case, and that Kumar, known as Rinku in his village, was “probably forced to file FIR against woman. The Print could meet only his mother, as Kumar was not present.Speaking to the Indian Express, his mother said that Kumar had left for Chandigarh at 7 am on April 20, and his phone has been switched off since. However, the information is incorrect, as the Caravan‘s reporter met Kumar at his Bahadurgarh workplace on April 21.Kumar is married and has a three-year-old son. His wife told the Indian Express that “he was under a lot of stress due to threatening phone calls” and that she came to know about the FIR only a few days ago. It also appeared that Kumar may have been under stress because of some debts he had incurred in the past one year.