Judge Desai asked about Mumbai rape allegation during public protector interview

Democratic Alliance MP Werner Horn brought up rape allegations made in 2004 against Judge Siraj Desai when he was being interviewed for the position of public protector on Thursday.

The judge objected numerous times and later went on to say that he “was never acquitted and I was not convicted either” of the incident in Mumbai‚ India.

“The allegation was withdrawn under oath‚” he said.

Desai‚ the fourth candidate to be quizzed about his suitability for the job‚ emphasised that while he had been a judge for 21 years‚ he had been an activist in the city of Cape Town “for the past four decades“.

After being asked a question about his health‚ Desai responded that as a socialist‚ “we are supposed to die with our boots on“.

The judge was famously accused of raping a South African HIV/Aids activist during a conference in India in 2004‚ reported Business Day on Wednesday.

Desai initially denied having sex with his accuser‚ when questioned by the Indian police. Later he said they had sex‚ but it had been consensual.

The interviews of candidates to replace advocate Thuli Madonsela continue.