India mulls to tighten sexual harassment laws: Officials    

NEW DELHI: India is considering tightening sexual harassment laws after rising complaints of abuse lodged by women in recent weeks, said government officials on Thursday.

Changes to the laws are being considered as the government weighs different proposals to tackle harassment, one of the officials said.

“The official announcement could come next week,” said the official, who works in the prime minister’s office.

The government focus on the law has come after women’s rights groups complained that the existing laws do not go far enough to address the widespread problem of sexual harassment.

A junior government minister resigned on Wednesday after he faced sexual harassment accusations from more than a dozen women.

The allegations related to when the junior foreign minister, M.J. Akbar, was a top newspaper editor. He is the biggest casualty since the #MeToo movement in India gained traction in recent weeks.

Akbar has denied wrongdoing and said he was stepping down so that he could fight the allegations in court.

A Delhi court began proceedings on Thursday in a defamation suit filed by Akbar against one of the women who levelled accusations against him.

The previous government passed a workplace harassment act and an act to amend criminal law in 2013. But women’s groups say a requirement that accusations be made to a workplace complaints committee within three months is unfair as some women cannot quickly muster the courage to take that step.

The government should review certain provisions of the sexual harassment prevention law, said Rebecca John, a lawyer who is defending the woman against whom Akbar has filed a defamation suit.

“The provision of filing a complaint within three months should be made more flexible,” she said.