#MeToo effect: Govt to form GoM to look into gaps in sexual harassment law

The development comes days after Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi proposed the formation of a legal panel to look into the issue

As the "#MeToo" movement rages on in India, the government is set to form a group of ministers to look into the lacunae in the existing law on sexual harassment, official sources said Wednesday.

They added that the group of ministers will be notified "soon".

Earlier, there were indications that the panel could be headed by a senior women cabinet minister but now, the sources said, it could be headed by Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

The development comes days after Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi proposed the formation of a legal panel to look into the legal and institutional framework in place for handling complaints of sexual harassment and advise her ministry on how to strengthen it.

 

India's "#MeToo" movement, which started with actor Tanushree Dutta accusing another actor -- Nana Patekar -- of harassing her during the shooting of a Bollywood film in 2008, has escalated sharply with more and more women coming forward with their complaints against various personalities.

M J Akbar, who resigned as the Minister of State for External Affairs Wednesday, filmmakers Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Rajat Kapoor and actor Alok Nath are among those who have been accused of sexual misconduct.