Sexual Assault Against Women

The Kerala High Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to veteran actor-cum-director Balachandra Menon in a case accusing him of outraging the modesty of a female actor in 2007 during a film shoot, saying that men too have "pride and dignity" and not just women. The order and observation by Justice P V Kunhikrishnan came while allowing the anticipatory bail plea moved by the actor against whom the case was lodged in September this year after the release of the Justice Hema Committee report. In his plea, Menon had contended that the complaint was made after a gap of 17 years from the date of the alleged incident in 2007 and the intention was to malign his image. The court said there was "force" in his arguments as it was an admitted fact that the alleged incident happened in 2007. "It is an admitted fact that the victim filed the complaint after 17 years of the alleged incident. It is an admitted fact that the petitioner (Menon) is a known cine artist. He directed about 40 fil

Hema Committee was formed in response to a 2017 sexual assault case involving an actor and submitted its report to the Chief Minister on December 31, 2019

The Karnataka High Court had in October denied Revanna's request for bail; he is facing multiple accusations of repeated sexual assault and intimidation against him

Sean Diddy Combs was hit Monday with a new wave of lawsuits accusing him of raping women, sexually assaulting men and molesting a 16-year-old boy the first time he's been sued by a person alleging they were abused as a minor. At least six lawsuits were filed against Combs in federal court in Manhattan, adding to a growing list of legal claims against the indicted hip-hop mogul, all of which he has denied. The lawsuits were filed anonymously to protect the identities of the accusers, two by women identified as Jane Does and four by men identified as John Does. Some of the Does, echoing others who've accused Combs in recent months, allege that he used his fame and the promise of potential stardom to entice victims to lavish parties or drug-fueled hangouts where he then assaulted them. Some allege that he beat or drugged them. Others say he threatened to kill them if they didn't do as he pleased or if they spoke out against him. The lawsuits describe alleged assaults dating to the ...

The Kerala High Court on Monday dismissed a petition seeking a fresh probe into the alleged illegal access of a memory card, which is crucial evidence in the sensational actress assault case of 2017. The survivor in the assault case had approached the high court to set aside the fact-finding inquiry report submitted by the Ernakulam Sessions and District Judge on January 8, 2024, and to order a fresh investigation into the matter. The high court ruled that the plea was not maintainable. However, the court stated that the complainant could seek appropriate legal proceedings in accordance with the law. In her plea, the survivor had claimed that a mere reading of the inquiry report with regard to the illegal access of the devices indicates that the authority carrying out the probe "never conducted a fair, free and complete" investigation as directed by the High Court. The survivor had contended that the report is liable to be quashed and urged that a fresh probe be carried out by a .

The Maharashtra government has formed a Commission of Inquiry for a probe into the killing of Badlapur school sexual assault case Akshay Shinde in an alleged shoot-out by police. A home department gazette published on Tuesday said the single-member Commission of Inquiry will be headed by the Chief Justice (retired), Allahabad High Court, Dilip Bhosale. The panel will submit its report in three months, as per the gazette. Two girls, aged four and five years, were allegedly sexually abused by a male attendant inside the toilet of a school at Badlapur in Thane district in August. Akshay Shinde, the accused, was subsequently arrested, but was shot dead by police in an alleged shoot-out on September 23. The terms of reference for the Commission of Inquiry will be the sequence of events which happened at the Mumbra bypass in Thane on September 23, regarding the exchange of fire between Akshay Shinde and the police escort party which resulted in his death, and the causes and consequences

The new allegations have been made by 60 men and 60 women, including victims who were minors at the time of the alleged incidents

P Diddy faces charges of sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy, and interstate transportation for prostitution

Jay-Z to Justin Bieber: Silence on the arrest of US rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs has sparked outrage on social media as allegations of sexual assault, trafficking, and abuse surface

A report by the US National Institutes of Health in 2022 revealed that up to 95 per cent of nurses in Pakistan had faced workplace violence at least once during their careers

Supreme Court raised concerns over West Bengal's staffing policies in hospitals during the suo moto hearing on the Kolkata rape and murder case

RG Kar Rape-Murder Case: Junior doctors across India are demanding government accountability and an impartial, transparent probe into the rape and murder case of trainee doctor in Kolkata

Fast Track Special Courts which specialise in expediting the trial process for cases related to sexual offences disposed of 83 per cent cases in 2022 and 94 per cent in 2023 while all Indian courts saw only a 10 per cent disposal rate, according to a new report. A recent report, 'Fast Tracking Justice: Role of Fast Track Special Courts in Reducing Case Backlogs' by the child rights NGO, India Child Protection, highlights the exceptional efficiency of these courts. While all Indian courts saw only a 10 per cent disposal rate for rape and POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) cases in 2022, FTSCs managed an impressive 83 per cent rate, which further improved to 94 per cent in 2023, according to the report. Despite the positive impact of FTSCs, the report paints a stark picture of the judicial system's challenges. As of August 2024, a total of 755 FTSCs, including 410 exclusive POCSO courts, are functional out of the 1023 earmarked courts, it said. In total, 4,16,638 ra

The Hema Committee report exposes the Malayalam film industry's dark side and has revived the #MeToo movement, calling for urgent reform and accountability

Amid the outrage over the Kolkata rape-murder, PM Modi on Saturday that faster the decisions are taken in cases related to atrocities against women, the greater assurance of safety half the population

The case was filed in Kozhikode and is the latest development after the release of the recent Hema Committee report

The latest complaint has been lodged by a young actor who alleges he was sexually abused by director Ranjith in 2012

The crime branch and cyber police team have been searching for both the Trustees

Actress Sonia Malhar addressed the issue and revealed shocking incidents of mistreatment and exploitation

Separate cases have been registered in Kerala against popular Malayalam actors Jayasoorya and Maniyanpilla Raju following an allegation raised by a female actor that they had sexually assaulted her, police said on Thursday. A senior police official from Ernakulam said an FIR under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code was registered at the Fort Kochi police station against Raju. The Cantonment police in Thiruvananthapuram confirmed that a case under the same section was registered against Jayasoorya. Multiple FIRs have been registered against many high profile Malayalam film personalities following allegations of sexual harassment against various directors and actors in the wake of revelations in the Justice K Hema Committee report. The complainant, who has appeared in a handful of movies, levelled sexual abuse allegations against prominent actors M Mukesh, who is also an MLA, Jayasurya and Maniyanpilla Raju, as well as small-time actor Idavela Babu who held a prominent role in the