India plans to form GoM to review sexual harassment laws as MeToo' gains momentum

Amid a rise in the 'MeToo' movement in India, the government is mulling formation of a group of ministers to look into the lacunae in law on sexual harassment, a government source said Wednesday.

The proposal 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, including some of the complaints if required, and advise the ministry on how to strengthen these.

The government is mulling formation of a group of ministers to look into the lacunae in law on sexual harassment, the source said.

India's #MeToo movement, which started with Tanushree Dutta alleging actor Nana Patekar harassed her during a film shoot in 2008, has escalated sharply with increasing numbers of women coming forward with their complaints against various personalities.

M J Akbar who resigned as Minister of State for External Affairs, film director Subhash Ghai, Sajid Khan, Rajat Kapoor and actor Alok Nath is among those accused of sexual misconduct.

(With inputs from agencies.)