Mumbai resident Naveen Lade, president of a Mumbai-based NGO – Panchsheel Seva Sangh, has filed a Public Interest Litigation against the #MeToo movement. Lade has filed the petition addressed to the State of Maharashtra, Mumbai Commissioner of Police, Home Ministry, Law and Justice Ministry and the Information and Broadcasting Ministry against ‘the reckless and criminal minded actresses and journalists’ who came out and spoke against sexual assault faced by them.
‘In the matter of some Bollywood Legend Actors and Directors being insulted, criticized and defamed to the extreme extent without any evidential proof in the MeToo campaign’ on social medias by some reckless and criminal minded Bollywood Actresses and Journalists,’ the PIL reads.
According to the PIL, the #MeToo movement is an intentional insult, defamation and character assassination of the Law Enforcing Authorities, Home Ministry, Law and Justice Ministry, Information and Broadcasting Ministry and the Prime Minister of India.
‘And as a whole international insult, defamation and character assassination of our country ‘India’ in the eyes of the entire world, the Petitioner on the behalf of our country ‘India’ and its ‘Men’.’
The PIL questions why the victims who were silent for more than 10 to 23 years are fearlessly hurling abusive allegations on social media against their ‘Bollywood enemies’.
“No purpose is served by participating in the #MeToo campaign except to satisfy self temperament or grudges by hurling abusive allegations against Bollywood Actors and Directors and gain cheap publicity.”
The PIL argues that if the name and face of the victim is not disclosed in the rape cases, why are the aggrevied victims of the #MeToo campaign ‘happily’ showing their faces on TV channels and social media.
Hence, the petitioner craves leave to add, amend, delete, change, alter, modify any of the foregoing paragraphs or grounds.
“It is necessary in the interest of justice that this Honorable Court may be pleased to pass appropriate orders to immediately stop the usage of the dangerous and injurious #MeToo movement on social media as the same is a ‘Western countries concept and not Indian concept’.”
The PIL has requested the Mumbai Commissioner of Police to issue orders that if anyone participates in the #MeToo campaign, they can share their stories but not reveal the names of the alleged offender to insult and defame him and to ‘gain publicity’.
Speaking to Chaaipani, Navin Lade said,
This movement is an insult to the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and the constitution of India framed by him. Because of #MeToo, crimes such as murders and suicides will increase. Men and women will begin to see each other with suspicion. It harms the fabric of our country.
The #MeToo movement, which began a couple of months back, is a mustering momentum in India with women speaking against powerful personalities from the film, media and comedy industry who allegedly assaulted, harassed and molested them sexually and verbally.
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