Being a woman did not stop her from taking up issues concerning men. Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj, a documentary filmmaker, for quite a long time, has been raising issues concerning men and their rights.
On the Nana Patekar issue, she said that despite the police filing a closure report, the court has not yet accepted it. If the court finds loopholes in the investigation and feels the investigation has not been carried out fairly, it can ask the police to file a charge sheet in the case.
Also Read: Stigma, fear of being hassled keep women from fighting legal battle
She said the most important thing citizens should understand is, the law follows evidence. "It (court) doesn't follow emotions. The verdict that the court delivers is always based on evidence. Many amendments have been made to the law and in certain cases, even the testimony of the victim can be taken seriously to prove sexual harassment. There is also a chance of the police favouring one party over the other."
She further said that the MeToo movement raised a serious concern, where the anonymous complainants named the accused, who had to face serious repercussions. "The movement definitely had its relevance. Sexual harassment at workplaces is real and the movement brought this to the fore. It did give confidence to women to raise their voice. The impact was such that people, who were named in the tweets, were thrown out of their jobs. However, there is a lack of evidence because everything was anonymous."
Also Read: Decades-old rape complaints still a challenge to investigate: Cops
There is no dearth of cases, where women have falsely accused men, said Bharadwaj. She remembered one instance, where the Delhi High Court had raised concerns over one of the MeToo campaign stories and as a result, an article had to be taken down as it was based on an anonymous complaint.
Along with the movement failing to keep a tab on the course of complaints, people started questioning the authenticity of every complainant. Bharadwaj refers to rape as a heinous crime. She then talks about false rape cases that aren't discussed enough.
Also Read: Movement will live on always': Kamayani Bali Mahabal
"In many cases, a man would not go ahead and register a defamation complaint or fight the case, because he is still scared of ending up as an accused or having to fight a long legal battle before being acquitted. In most false cases, the man feels threatened, intimidated and prefers getting out than following it up.
Bharadwaj cited a case, where a woman accused a man of rape after working with him for years. She was aware that he is married and was friends with the wife too. She had asked the man to be with her and when her requests were denied, she alleged rape.
Also Read: It is a fight between decent & indecent men and women: Kamla Bhasin
On Dutta’s complaint
- On the Nana Patekar issue, she said that despite the police filing a closure report, the court has not yet accepted it
- She said the most important thing citizens should understand is, law follows evidence
- If the court finds loopholes in the investigation, it can ask the police to file a charge sheet and reopen the case
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Man")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}