New Delhi: New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday appointed Justice Retired AK Patnaik to to hold inquiry into claims of lawyer Utsav Bains who claimed there is a conspiracy to frame CJI Ranjan Gogoi in sexual harassment case. The Court, however, said that Justice (Rtd) Patnaik will not go into the issue of sexual harassment allegations against the CJI. It said the outcome of inquiry will not affect in-house inquiry committee dealing with complaint against CJI.

The apex court has also asked the CBI Director and the IB Chief to co-operate with Justice AK Patnaik.

The apex court said that on the completion of inquiry, Justice (Retd) Patnaik will file a report in a sealed cover before the court after which the matter will be heard again.

Expressing anguish over the “systematic attack” on the judiciary, the Supreme Court earlier said the time has come to tell the rich and powerful of this country that they are "playing with fire" and this must stop.

A special bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that it was anguished with the way the judiciary has been treated for the past 3-4 years.

"The way this institution is treated in last few years we must say that we will not survive if this will happen," a bench also comprising Justices R F Nariman and Deepak Gupta said.  "There is a systematic attack, systematic game to malign this institution", the bench said.

On Wednesday the SC had termed as "highly sensitive" the claims of fixing in the top judiciary and framing of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on allegations of sexual harassment, and said it was the responsibility of court to keep the institution clean so that its image is not tarnished.

The three-judge special bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said that disclosure of certain names and allegations in the affidavit filed by advocate Utsav Singh Bains regarding fixing of bench in the apex court was a "very serious aspect".

The three judges, who met the Directors of CBI, Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Delhi Police Commissioner in chambers over the claims of Bains, directed them to seize the relevant material which the lawyer has filed in support of his affidavit.

"It becomes our responsibility to keep this institution clean as well as to ensure that the image of this institution is not tarnished by such allegations to undertake the probe in the matter," said the bench, also comprising Justices R F Nariman and Deepak Gupta in the order.

"We are taking up the matter so as to ascertain the correctness of the averments made in the affidavit (filed by Bains), to ascertain the various aspects which have been mentioned which cannot be done without proper investigation and any order passed on judicial side by this court shall not affect the matter on administrative side," the bench said.

It said police protection given to Bains shall continue until further orders.

(With additional information from Agencies)