#MeToo: Supreme Court refuses urgent hearing on plea seeking FIRs based on sexual harassment claims
The PIL wanted the National Commission for Women to provide security to the women who had spoken up.
The Supreme Court on Monday refused to urgently hear a public interest litigation that sought the registration of first information reports in connection with India’s #MeToo movement, PTI reported.
Since October 5, dozens of women, including actors and journalists, have taken to social media to give detailed accounts of the sexual harassment and misconduct they have faced across several sectors such as advertising, Tamil and Hindi film industries, the field of arts, music and dance, publishing, journalism, sports and even non-profit organisations. Bharatiya Janata Party leader MJ Akbar resigned as Union minister last week after several women journalists accused him of sexual harassment.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK Kaul said that the petition can come up hearing in due course of time. Lawyer ML Sharma had filed the petition, which also wanted the court to direct the National Commission for Women to provide security to those women who had come out in the open with their sexual harassment complaints.