#MeToo movement: Uncertainty over separate legal committee to look into sexual harassment cases

With a high-level Group of Ministers being set up to look into lacunae in existing laws against sexual harassment, a separate legal committee to look into allegations that have surfaced in the #MeToo campaign might not see light of the day, sources said Friday.

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi had last week proposed a panel of legal experts to look into such allegations.

The committee was to look into the legal and institutional framework for handling complaints of sexual harassment and advise the ministry on how to strengthen the rules.

However, the government has decided to form a Group of Ministers to look into the lacunae in existing laws against sexual harassment, official sources had said on Wednesday.

Earlier, there were indications that the GoM could be headed by a senior women cabinet minister, but it was decided that Home Minister Rajnath Singh would head the panel.

The move comes in the backdrop of a raging #MeToo movement, which started with actor Tanushree Dutta accusing another actor Nana Patekar of harassing her during shooting of a Bollywood film in 2008.

The matter escalated sharply with more and more women coming forward with their complaints against men in seats of power at workplace and various institutions, including in entertainment, media, advertising and other areas.

Journalist-turned-politician M J Akbar had to resign as the Minister of State for External Affairs on Wednesday following a spate of complaints of alleged sexual harassment during his tenure as editor of various media publications. He has denied the allegations and has even dragged one of the complainants to court with a defamation case.

Other prominent personalities who have been accused of sexual misconduct include Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Alok Nath, Suhel Seth and Jatin Das, all of whom have denied the allegations even as multiple women have spoken out against them.