News Analysis India

Tag: sexual assault

  • Julia Ormond sues Weinstein saying he assaulted her; accuses CAA, Disney, Miramax of enabling

    By Associated Press

    NEW YORK: Julia Ormond, who starred in films alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford in the 1990s before her spotlight faded, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her career.

    Ormond, who also accuses The Walt Disney Co., Miramax and her former agents of knowing Weinstein was a problem but doing nothing about it, filed the case in state Supreme Court in Manhattan under the Adult Survivors Act, a law passed last year that allows a temporary window for those who allege sexual assault to file past the state’s normal deadlines.

    In her lawsuit, Ormond says she was a star on the rise when she met Weinstein in 1994. She says she kept in touch with him to discuss scripts and projects, and in 1995 entered into a production agreement with Miramax, where he was co-chairman. She accuses him of committing sexual battery against her in December 1995 after a business meeting, and then retaliating against her and negatively affecting her career after she confronted him weeks later.

    Weinstein attorney Imran Ansari said his client “categorically denies the allegations made against him by Julia Ormond and he is prepared to vehemently defend himself.”

    The British actress says she told her U.S. agents at the time, Creative Artists Agency, but received no support and was advised not to take any legal action or other steps. She accuses CAA, Disney and Miramax, saying that they knew Weinstein presented a danger to women but did nothing to stop him or to help her.

    According to the filing, “none of these prominent companies warned Ormond that Weinstein had a history of assaulting women because he was too important, too powerful, and made them too much money.”

    CAA responded in a statement that the agency “takes all allegations of sexual assault and abuse seriously, and has compassion for Ms. Ormond.”

    The statement said the agency hired attorneys to investigate her claims when she first came to them in March, and they found only “evidence of a dynamic and engaged relationship between CAA and Ms. Ormond, and the agency’s consistent efforts to support her career.”

    “Ms. Ormond’s claims against CAA are baseless, and the agency will vigorously refute them in court,” the statement said.

    The lawsuit marks the first time Ormond has publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name the alleged victims of sexual assault, but it is in this case because Ormond has spoken publicly about it, including in an interview with Variety.

    Weinstein, 71, was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020 and is in prison in the state. Last year, he also was convicted of another rape in Los Angeles. He has appealed both convictions.

    Dozens of women have sued Weinstein, many of them actors, but few have named such a broad list of defendants as Ormond. Suing her own former agents is an especially unusual move.

    Emails seeking comment were also sent to Disney and Miramax.

    Ormond’s films include “Legends of the Fall” with Pitt; “Sabrina” with Ford; and “First Knight” with Sean Connery and Richard Gere.

    NEW YORK: Julia Ormond, who starred in films alongside the likes of Brad Pitt and Harrison Ford in the 1990s before her spotlight faded, filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein of sexually assaulting her in 1995 and then hindering her career.

    Ormond, who also accuses The Walt Disney Co., Miramax and her former agents of knowing Weinstein was a problem but doing nothing about it, filed the case in state Supreme Court in Manhattan under the Adult Survivors Act, a law passed last year that allows a temporary window for those who allege sexual assault to file past the state’s normal deadlines.

    In her lawsuit, Ormond says she was a star on the rise when she met Weinstein in 1994. She says she kept in touch with him to discuss scripts and projects, and in 1995 entered into a production agreement with Miramax, where he was co-chairman. She accuses him of committing sexual battery against her in December 1995 after a business meeting, and then retaliating against her and negatively affecting her career after she confronted him weeks later.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Weinstein attorney Imran Ansari said his client “categorically denies the allegations made against him by Julia Ormond and he is prepared to vehemently defend himself.”

    The British actress says she told her U.S. agents at the time, Creative Artists Agency, but received no support and was advised not to take any legal action or other steps. She accuses CAA, Disney and Miramax, saying that they knew Weinstein presented a danger to women but did nothing to stop him or to help her.

    According to the filing, “none of these prominent companies warned Ormond that Weinstein had a history of assaulting women because he was too important, too powerful, and made them too much money.”

    CAA responded in a statement that the agency “takes all allegations of sexual assault and abuse seriously, and has compassion for Ms. Ormond.”

    The statement said the agency hired attorneys to investigate her claims when she first came to them in March, and they found only “evidence of a dynamic and engaged relationship between CAA and Ms. Ormond, and the agency’s consistent efforts to support her career.”

    “Ms. Ormond’s claims against CAA are baseless, and the agency will vigorously refute them in court,” the statement said.

    The lawsuit marks the first time Ormond has publicly accused Weinstein of sexual assault. The Associated Press generally doesn’t name the alleged victims of sexual assault, but it is in this case because Ormond has spoken publicly about it, including in an interview with Variety.

    Weinstein, 71, was convicted of rape and sexual assault in New York in 2020 and is in prison in the state. Last year, he also was convicted of another rape in Los Angeles. He has appealed both convictions.

    Dozens of women have sued Weinstein, many of them actors, but few have named such a broad list of defendants as Ormond. Suing her own former agents is an especially unusual move.

    Emails seeking comment were also sent to Disney and Miramax.

    Ormond’s films include “Legends of the Fall” with Pitt; “Sabrina” with Ford; and “First Knight” with Sean Connery and Richard Gere.

  • Sexual assault allegations: YouTube stops Russell Brand making money from adverts 

    By Online Desk

    YouTube has suspended Russell Brand’s ability to earn money through his channel for ‘violating Creator Responsibility policy.’

    Under the terms of his suspension Brand – whose net worth has been estimated at between £15m and £40m – will still be allowed to post videos on the platform but will not receive any of the advertising revenue, Daily Mail reports.

    Industry experts have estimated Brand probably makes between £2,000 to £4,000 a video, which, based on five videos a week, could produce close to £1m a year, The Guardian said.

    Brand, The Guardian added, had prepared for this eventuality by moving many of his videos across to rival site Rumble, although this a relatively niche outlet that does not give Brand access to the 6.5 million subscribers he has built up during a decade on YouTube.

    The 48-year-old has been accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame working for the BBC, Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films. He denies the allegations, saying all his relationships were consensual.

    The Met police said on Monday they had received an allegation of sexual assault in Soho, central London, in 2003. The force added that as yet no investigation had been launched, The Guardian report said.

    YouTube has suspended Russell Brand’s ability to earn money through his channel for ‘violating Creator Responsibility policy.’

    Under the terms of his suspension Brand – whose net worth has been estimated at between £15m and £40m – will still be allowed to post videos on the platform but will not receive any of the advertising revenue, Daily Mail reports.

    Industry experts have estimated Brand probably makes between £2,000 to £4,000 a video, which, based on five videos a week, could produce close to £1m a year, The Guardian said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Brand, The Guardian added, had prepared for this eventuality by moving many of his videos across to rival site Rumble, although this a relatively niche outlet that does not give Brand access to the 6.5 million subscribers he has built up during a decade on YouTube.

    The 48-year-old has been accused of rape, assault and emotional abuse between 2006 and 2013, when he was at the height of his fame working for the BBC, Channel 4 and starring in Hollywood films. He denies the allegations, saying all his relationships were consensual.

    The Met police said on Monday they had received an allegation of sexual assault in Soho, central London, in 2003. The force added that as yet no investigation had been launched, The Guardian report said.

  • Senior British politicians urge police to probe sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand

    By Associated Press

    LONDON: Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to investigate sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand, as the UK entertainment industry faced questions about whether the “bad behavior” of the rape-accused Brand went unchallenged because of his fame.

    Brand denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

    Brand, 48, has rejected all the claims, saying in a video statement that his relationships were “always consensual.”

    The Times said Monday that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be “rigorously checked.”

    Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said the claims were “very serious and concerning,” and those making the allegations should be “treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.”

    Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in both Britain and the United States to investigate the “incredibly shocking” allegations.

    “This merits and needs a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men — and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men — not being held to account for their behaviors and their actions,” she told BBC radio.

    London’s Metropolitan Police force said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure “any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.”

    The claims have renewed debate about the “lad culture” that flourished in Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the misogyny that still percolates on the internet.

    The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cover the period between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a major star in Britain with a growing US profile.

    Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, he hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

    Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with Sachs’ granddaughter. He quit his radio show in the wake of the incident, which drew thousands of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.

    The BBC, Channel 4 and the production company behind the “Big Brother” reality series – spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand — all say they have launched investigations into Brand’s behavior and how complaints were handled.

    Brand also has been dropped by talent agency Tavistock Wood, which said it had been “horribly misled” by him.

    Supporters of Brand asked why the allegations were being made years after the alleged incidents. The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.

    Victims and the media also have to take account of Britain’s claimant-friendly libel laws, which put the burden of proof on those making allegations.

    In recent years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, includes COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.

    He also continues to tour as a comedian, performing to hundreds of people in a London venue on Saturday evening as the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.

    Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who studies Britain’s standup circuit, said Brand was a product of a live comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny – and still is, despite progress made by women and others to diversify the comic landscape.

    “When we’ve had a rise of popular feminism … we’ve also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the UK comedy circuit,” Tomsett said

    “More and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that it’s something that happened in the past and doesn’t happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,” she added.

    LONDON: Senior British politicians on Monday urged police to investigate sexual assault allegations against Russell Brand, as the UK entertainment industry faced questions about whether the “bad behavior” of the rape-accused Brand went unchallenged because of his fame.

    Brand denies allegations of sexual assault made by four women in a Channel 4 television documentary and The Times and Sunday Times newspapers. The accusers, who have not been named, include one who said she was sexually assaulted during a relationship with him when she was 16. Another woman says Brand raped her in Los Angeles in 2012.

    Brand, 48, has rejected all the claims, saying in a video statement that his relationships were “always consensual.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The Times said Monday that more women had contacted the newspaper with allegations against Brand and they would be “rigorously checked.”

    Max Blain, spokesman for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, said the claims were “very serious and concerning,” and those making the allegations should be “treated seriously and treated with sensitivity.”

    Conservative legislator Caroline Nokes, who chairs the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee, urged police in both Britain and the United States to investigate the “incredibly shocking” allegations.

    “This merits and needs a criminal investigation, because for too long we have seen men — and the perpetrators of these sorts of crimes are almost invariably men — not being held to account for their behaviors and their actions,” she told BBC radio.

    London’s Metropolitan Police force said it would speak to the Sunday Times and Channel 4 to ensure “any victims of crime who they have spoken with are aware of how they may report any criminal allegations to police.”

    The claims have renewed debate about the “lad culture” that flourished in Britain in the 1990s and early 2000s, and the misogyny that still percolates on the internet.

    The allegations reported by the newspapers and Channel 4 cover the period between 2006 and 2013, when Brand was a major star in Britain with a growing US profile.

    Known for his unbridled and risqué standup routines, he hosted shows on radio and television, wrote memoirs charting his battles with drugs and alcohol, appeared in several Hollywood movies and was briefly married to pop star Katy Perry between 2010 and 2012.

    Brand was suspended by the BBC in 2008 for making lewd prank calls to “Fawlty Towers” actor Andrew Sachs in which he boasted about having sex with Sachs’ granddaughter. He quit his radio show in the wake of the incident, which drew thousands of complaints to the publicly funded broadcaster.

    The BBC, Channel 4 and the production company behind the “Big Brother” reality series – spinoffs of which were hosted by Brand — all say they have launched investigations into Brand’s behavior and how complaints were handled.

    Brand also has been dropped by talent agency Tavistock Wood, which said it had been “horribly misled” by him.

    Supporters of Brand asked why the allegations were being made years after the alleged incidents. The women said that they only felt ready to tell their stories after being approached by reporters, with some citing Brand’s newfound prominence as an online wellness influencer as a factor in their decision to speak.

    Victims and the media also have to take account of Britain’s claimant-friendly libel laws, which put the burden of proof on those making allegations.

    In recent years Brand has largely disappeared from mainstream media but has built up a large following online with videos mixing wellness and conspiracy theories. His YouTube channel, which has more than 6 million subscribers, includes COVID-19 conspiracies, vaccine misinformation and interviews with right-wing broadcasters including Tucker Carlson and Joe Rogan.

    He also continues to tour as a comedian, performing to hundreds of people in a London venue on Saturday evening as the Channel 4 documentary was broadcast.

    Ellie Tomsett, a senior lecturer in media and communications at Birmingham City University who studies Britain’s standup circuit, said Brand was a product of a live comedy scene that was riddled with misogyny – and still is, despite progress made by women and others to diversify the comic landscape.

    “When we’ve had a rise of popular feminism … we’ve also had a rise in popular misogyny epitomized by the likes of (social media influencer) Andrew Tate, but evident in all aspects of society, and definitely reflected on the UK comedy circuit,” Tomsett said

    “More and more things are springing up to try and counter this, but the idea that it’s something that happened in the past and doesn’t happen anymore is, quite frankly, nonsense,” she added.

  • Was sexually assaulted by father when I was a child: DCW chief Swati Maliwal

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Saturday said she was sexually assaulted by her father in her childhood and the trauma led her to fight for the rights of women.

    Speaking to reporters after the DCW International Women’s Day Awards ceremony here, Maliwal said she faced abuse till the time she was in Class 4.

    “I was sexually assaulted by my father when I was a child. I was very small at that time. My father used to beat me up and I used to hide under the bed to save myself,” she said.

    “While hiding under the bed, I used to think how I will teach a lesson to such men who abuse women and children, and how I can help women get their rights,” she said.

    Narrating her ordeal, Maliwal said that her father would grab her by her braid and slam her against the wall, leading to severe bleeding.

    “This happened till I was in Class 4,” she recalled.

    Recently, actor and National Commission for Women (NCW) member Khushbu Sundar said she was sexually abused by her father at the age of 8.

    ALSO WATCH |

    NEW DELHI: Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Saturday said she was sexually assaulted by her father in her childhood and the trauma led her to fight for the rights of women.

    Speaking to reporters after the DCW International Women’s Day Awards ceremony here, Maliwal said she faced abuse till the time she was in Class 4.

    “I was sexually assaulted by my father when I was a child. I was very small at that time. My father used to beat me up and I used to hide under the bed to save myself,” she said.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “While hiding under the bed, I used to think how I will teach a lesson to such men who abuse women and children, and how I can help women get their rights,” she said.

    Narrating her ordeal, Maliwal said that her father would grab her by her braid and slam her against the wall, leading to severe bleeding.

    “This happened till I was in Class 4,” she recalled.

    Recently, actor and National Commission for Women (NCW) member Khushbu Sundar said she was sexually abused by her father at the age of 8.

    ALSO WATCH |

  • Woman sues Aerosmith’s lead singer Steven Tyler, alleging child sex assault in 1970s

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: A woman who has previously said Steven Tyler had an illicit sexual relationship with her when she was a teenager is now suing the Aerosmith frontman for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

    The lawsuit brought by Julia Misley was filed on Tuesday under a 2019 California law that gave adult victims of childhood sexual assault a three-year window to file lawsuits for decades-old instances of assault.

    Saturday is the deadline to file such claims.

    The 65-year-old Misley, formerly known as Julia Holcomb, said in a statement that she wanted to seize “a new opportunity to take legal action against those that abused me in my youth.” The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault unless they publicly identify themselves.

    While the lawsuit doesn’t name Tyler, Misley identified him by name in the statement, issued through the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates.

    She has also recounted her experiences with Tyler in prior interviews, and Tyler discussed a relationship with a teenage girl in two books, published in 2011 and 1997. The acknowledgements section of his memoir “Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?” thanks a “Julia Halcomb,” which Misley has said is a reference to her.

    Representatives for Tyler did not immediately return requests for comment Friday. Rolling Stone first reported the lawsuit.

    The lawsuit alleges Tyler “used his role, status, and power as a well-known musician and rock star to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault,” Misley over a period of three years. Some of the abuse occurred in Los Angeles County, the lawsuit said. As a result, she has suffered severe emotional injury as well as economic losses, the lawsuit said.

    The lawsuit says that Misley met Tyler in 1973 at one of his shows in Portland, Oregon, and was later invited to Tyler’s hotel room, where she said she told him she was 16 years old. Tyler would have been 25 or 26 at the time. It says he engaged in “various acts of criminal sexual conduct” against Misley.

    He engaged in sexual acts with her following multiple other shows, and in 1974 he became her legal guardian so that she could travel to him with shows, the lawsuit alleged.

    The lawsuit alleged that Misley became pregnant in 1975 as a result of having sex with Tyler and that he later coerced her into having an abortion.

    Tyler further harmed Misley by publishing memoirs that detailed parts of their relationship without her knowledge or consent, the lawsuit alleged. Doing so subjected Misley to public attention and scrutiny, which retraumatized her and made it harder for her to recover, the lawsuit said.

    In Tyler’s 2011 memoir, he mentions meeting an unnamed 16-year-old “girlfriend to be.” He wrote that he almost “took a teen bride” and got her parents to sign over custody so he wouldn’t get arrested when she went on tour with him out of state.

    “By including Plaintiff’s name in the acknowledgements, he left the readers and the public without any doubt of Plaintiff’s identity,” the lawsuit states, adding that she was confronted with a picture of her own face on a tabloid cover at a grocery store after the book’s publication.

    Tyler’s relationship with a teenage girl is also referenced by several people in “Walk This Way,” a 1997 “autobiography” of Aerosmith in oral history format. The teen is given the pseudonym “Diana Hall” and, at one point, is described as pregnant. Tyler said he was thinking about marrying her, referenced abortions, and called it a “tricky situation all around.”

    The lawsuit seeks monetary compensation of an unspecified amount.

    LOS ANGELES: A woman who has previously said Steven Tyler had an illicit sexual relationship with her when she was a teenager is now suing the Aerosmith frontman for sexual assault, sexual battery and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

    The lawsuit brought by Julia Misley was filed on Tuesday under a 2019 California law that gave adult victims of childhood sexual assault a three-year window to file lawsuits for decades-old instances of assault.

    Saturday is the deadline to file such claims.

    The 65-year-old Misley, formerly known as Julia Holcomb, said in a statement that she wanted to seize “a new opportunity to take legal action against those that abused me in my youth.” The Associated Press does not name victims of sexual assault unless they publicly identify themselves.

    While the lawsuit doesn’t name Tyler, Misley identified him by name in the statement, issued through the law firm Jeff Anderson & Associates.

    She has also recounted her experiences with Tyler in prior interviews, and Tyler discussed a relationship with a teenage girl in two books, published in 2011 and 1997. The acknowledgements section of his memoir “Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?” thanks a “Julia Halcomb,” which Misley has said is a reference to her.

    Representatives for Tyler did not immediately return requests for comment Friday. Rolling Stone first reported the lawsuit.

    The lawsuit alleges Tyler “used his role, status, and power as a well-known musician and rock star to gain access to, groom, manipulate, exploit, and sexually assault,” Misley over a period of three years. Some of the abuse occurred in Los Angeles County, the lawsuit said. As a result, she has suffered severe emotional injury as well as economic losses, the lawsuit said.

    The lawsuit says that Misley met Tyler in 1973 at one of his shows in Portland, Oregon, and was later invited to Tyler’s hotel room, where she said she told him she was 16 years old. Tyler would have been 25 or 26 at the time. It says he engaged in “various acts of criminal sexual conduct” against Misley.

    He engaged in sexual acts with her following multiple other shows, and in 1974 he became her legal guardian so that she could travel to him with shows, the lawsuit alleged.

    The lawsuit alleged that Misley became pregnant in 1975 as a result of having sex with Tyler and that he later coerced her into having an abortion.

    Tyler further harmed Misley by publishing memoirs that detailed parts of their relationship without her knowledge or consent, the lawsuit alleged. Doing so subjected Misley to public attention and scrutiny, which retraumatized her and made it harder for her to recover, the lawsuit said.

    In Tyler’s 2011 memoir, he mentions meeting an unnamed 16-year-old “girlfriend to be.” He wrote that he almost “took a teen bride” and got her parents to sign over custody so he wouldn’t get arrested when she went on tour with him out of state.

    “By including Plaintiff’s name in the acknowledgements, he left the readers and the public without any doubt of Plaintiff’s identity,” the lawsuit states, adding that she was confronted with a picture of her own face on a tabloid cover at a grocery store after the book’s publication.

    Tyler’s relationship with a teenage girl is also referenced by several people in “Walk This Way,” a 1997 “autobiography” of Aerosmith in oral history format. The teen is given the pseudonym “Diana Hall” and, at one point, is described as pregnant. Tyler said he was thinking about marrying her, referenced abortions, and called it a “tricky situation all around.”

    The lawsuit seeks monetary compensation of an unspecified amount.

  • Mumbai: Class 8 girl raped by two classmates in civic-run school, case filed 

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Two boys allegedly raped their 13-year-old classmate inside the classroom of their civic-run school in the Matunga area of Mumbai, after which the police registered a case against them, an official said on Friday.

    The incident took place on Monday, he said.

    “The girl was sexually assaulted by her two classmates when their fellow classmates stepped out of the classroom for dance practice. The two accused indulged in the crime by taking advantage of the situation,” an official of Matunga police station said. The victim and the accused are students of Class 8, he said.

    “The incident left the girl shaken and she shared her ordeal with her family members, who immediately lodged a complaint against the accused,” the official said.

    Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against the boys under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376 DA (gangrape of a woman under sixteen years of age) and under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.

    The minor accused were produced in a juvenile court, which sent them to the juvenile detention centre at Dongri in south Mumbai and further investigation is underway.

    MUMBAI: Two boys allegedly raped their 13-year-old classmate inside the classroom of their civic-run school in the Matunga area of Mumbai, after which the police registered a case against them, an official said on Friday.

    The incident took place on Monday, he said.

    “The girl was sexually assaulted by her two classmates when their fellow classmates stepped out of the classroom for dance practice. The two accused indulged in the crime by taking advantage of the situation,” an official of Matunga police station said. The victim and the accused are students of Class 8, he said.

    “The incident left the girl shaken and she shared her ordeal with her family members, who immediately lodged a complaint against the accused,” the official said.

    Based on the complaint, the police registered a case against the boys under Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 376 DA (gangrape of a woman under sixteen years of age) and under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he added.

    The minor accused were produced in a juvenile court, which sent them to the juvenile detention centre at Dongri in south Mumbai and further investigation is underway.

  • Bhopal Horror: Top brass of school booked under POCSO over lapses in sexual assault of nursery student

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: Perhaps for the first time, the top brass of a prominent private school in Madhya Pradesh have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act 2020.

    Three top officials, including the prominent school’s chairperson, director (operations), principal and the transport in-charge were booked by the Bhopal police under Section 188 IPC and Section 21 of POCSO Act late on Thursday night, for lapses in the matter pertaining to the alleged sexual assault on three and half years nursery student by bus driver inside the school bus on September 8.

    According to a senior Bhopal Police commissionerate officer, the four officials of the school were booked after hours of questioning of around 30-40 staff members of the 2200-students strong school.

    The four officials have been found prima facie responsible for non-operability of CCTV camera installed in the bus (in which the minor was sexually assaulted on September 8) and covering up the matter for three days in the name of an internal probe, instead of reporting it timely to the police.

    “Though the parents reported the matter to the school administration on September 9 only (a day after it happened in the bus), instead of reporting it to Bhopal Police immediately, the school administration kept on misleading the nursery student’s parents in the name of conducting an internal probe. It was finally on September 12 that the Bhopal Police came to know about the matter after the girl’s parents themselves reported the matter to the cops,” a senior Bhopal police officer said.

    Both the accused, the middle aged school bus driver and the female caretaker in the bus, were arrested by police on September 12 only and booked u/s 376 AB and provisions of the POCSO Act.

    A special investigation team (SIT) headed by ADCP Shrutkirti Somwanshi has been constituted by the Bhopal Police Commissioner Makarand Deouskar to probe the case, whose probe is being personally monitored by MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The SIT is now working to file a charge sheet in the case before the court within 10 days. 

    Meanwhile, a parallel probe into the matter by the MP State Commission for Child Rights (MPSCPCR) has also led to some shocking revelations.

    “Not just one nursery student girl, but two more nursery students could have been actually sexually assaulted, as the uniform of two more students were changed inside the same school bus the same day, as was in the case with the sexual assault survivor three and half years old minor,” the Commission’s member Brajesh Chouhan told The New Indian Express on Friday.

    “Though CCTV camera was installed in the bus, its Digital Video Recorder (DVR) didn’t have any memory card, meaning there was a digital eye in the bus, but without any brain and memory power. Also, the GPS system of the concerned bus hadn’t been updated. Importantly, it was among the 10 odd buses of that school, whose GPS system was awaiting update,” Chouhan added.

    The child rights body whose team spent around 9-10 hours at the concerned school on Thursday, also strongly felt that the bus driver accused of sexually assaulting the minor on September 8, possibly had no prior experience of operating a school bus. Till 2019, he was driving the personal car of some individual in Indore, but after becoming jobless during the covid-19 pandemic, he was helping his father run the family’s tea shop in Bhopal. He joined the school as a bus driver just a few months back only, the child rights body member said.

    “Also, the counselling of the girl by the state certified counsellor suggests that the concerned bus driver could have molested/sexually assaulted her previously also. We’re going to write to the Bhopal Police Commissioner for investigating on all these aspects also,” Chouhan maintained.

    BHOPAL: Perhaps for the first time, the top brass of a prominent private school in Madhya Pradesh have been booked under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Act 2020.

    Three top officials, including the prominent school’s chairperson, director (operations), principal and the transport in-charge were booked by the Bhopal police under Section 188 IPC and Section 21 of POCSO Act late on Thursday night, for lapses in the matter pertaining to the alleged sexual assault on three and half years nursery student by bus driver inside the school bus on September 8.

    According to a senior Bhopal Police commissionerate officer, the four officials of the school were booked after hours of questioning of around 30-40 staff members of the 2200-students strong school.

    The four officials have been found prima facie responsible for non-operability of CCTV camera installed in the bus (in which the minor was sexually assaulted on September 8) and covering up the matter for three days in the name of an internal probe, instead of reporting it timely to the police.

    “Though the parents reported the matter to the school administration on September 9 only (a day after it happened in the bus), instead of reporting it to Bhopal Police immediately, the school administration kept on misleading the nursery student’s parents in the name of conducting an internal probe. It was finally on September 12 that the Bhopal Police came to know about the matter after the girl’s parents themselves reported the matter to the cops,” a senior Bhopal police officer said.

    Both the accused, the middle aged school bus driver and the female caretaker in the bus, were arrested by police on September 12 only and booked u/s 376 AB and provisions of the POCSO Act.

    A special investigation team (SIT) headed by ADCP Shrutkirti Somwanshi has been constituted by the Bhopal Police Commissioner Makarand Deouskar to probe the case, whose probe is being personally monitored by MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The SIT is now working to file a charge sheet in the case before the court within 10 days. 

    Meanwhile, a parallel probe into the matter by the MP State Commission for Child Rights (MPSCPCR) has also led to some shocking revelations.

    “Not just one nursery student girl, but two more nursery students could have been actually sexually assaulted, as the uniform of two more students were changed inside the same school bus the same day, as was in the case with the sexual assault survivor three and half years old minor,” the Commission’s member Brajesh Chouhan told The New Indian Express on Friday.

    “Though CCTV camera was installed in the bus, its Digital Video Recorder (DVR) didn’t have any memory card, meaning there was a digital eye in the bus, but without any brain and memory power. Also, the GPS system of the concerned bus hadn’t been updated. Importantly, it was among the 10 odd buses of that school, whose GPS system was awaiting update,” Chouhan added.

    The child rights body whose team spent around 9-10 hours at the concerned school on Thursday, also strongly felt that the bus driver accused of sexually assaulting the minor on September 8, possibly had no prior experience of operating a school bus. Till 2019, he was driving the personal car of some individual in Indore, but after becoming jobless during the covid-19 pandemic, he was helping his father run the family’s tea shop in Bhopal. He joined the school as a bus driver just a few months back only, the child rights body member said.

    “Also, the counselling of the girl by the state certified counsellor suggests that the concerned bus driver could have molested/sexually assaulted her previously also. We’re going to write to the Bhopal Police Commissioner for investigating on all these aspects also,” Chouhan maintained.

  • SC reserves verdict on appeals against Bombay HC’s ‘skin-to-skin’ contact judgement in sexual assault case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court Thursday reserved judgement on appeals against the Bombay High Court verdict which had held that no offence of sexual assault under the POCSO Act is made out if there is no direct ‘skin-to-skin’ contact between accused and the victim.

    A bench headed by Justice U U Lalit heard the arguments of the counsels for the parties and asked them to file written submissions.

    “Parties at liberty to file their written submissions within three days. Order reserved,” said the bench also comprising Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi.

    The Maharashtra government had told the top court that they would adopt the submissions of the Attorney General K K Venugopal.

    Venugopal had earlier told the apex court that the controversial verdict of the Bombay High Court would set a “dangerous and outrageous precedent” and needed to be reversed.

    The top court, which was hearing separate appeals of Attorney General and the National Commission for women (NCW), had on January 27 stayed the order which had acquitted a man under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act saying “groping a minor’s breast without ‘skin to skin contact’ cannot be termed as sexual assault”.

    Two judgments were passed by Justice Pushpa Ganediwala of Bombay High Court (Nagpur Bench).

    Earlier, while staying the judgements, the top court had also issued notice to Maharashtra government and permitted the AG to file an appeal against the verdict.

    The verdict had said that groping a minor’s breast without “skin to skin contact” cannot be termed as sexual assault as defined under the POCSO Act.

    It had said that since the man groped the child without removing her clothes the offence cannot be termed as sexual assault but it does constitute the offence of outraging a woman’s modesty under IPC section 354.

    The high court had modified the order of a sessions court, which had sentenced a 39-year-old man to three years of imprisonment for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl.

    The verdict had further held that mere groping will not fall under the definition of sexual assault.

    As per the prosecution and the minor victim’s testimony in court, in December 2016, the accused, one Satish, had taken the girl to his house in Nagpur on the pretext of giving her something to eat.

    Once there, he gripped her breast and attempted to remove her clothes, the high court had recorded in her verdict.

    However, since he groped her without removing her clothes, the offence cannot be termed as sexual assault and, instead, constitutes the offence of outraging a woman’s modesty under IPC section 354, the high court had held.

    The sessions court had sentenced the man to three years of imprisonment for the offences under the POCSO Act as also under IPC section 354.

    The sentences were to run concurrently.

    The high court, however, acquitted him under the POCSO Act while upholding his conviction under IPC section 354.

    The POCSO Act defines sexual assault as when someone “with sexual intent touches the vagina, penis, anus or breast of the child or makes the child touch the vagina, penis, anus or breast of such person or any other person, or does any other act with sexual intent which involves physical contact without penetration is said to commit sexual assault”.

    The court had held that this “physical contact” mentioned in the definition of sexual assault must be “skin to skin” or direct physical contact.

  • ‘Tantrik’ held for abduction, rape of 17-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia

    By PTI

    BALLIA (UTTAR PRADESH): A “tantrik” allegedly abducted and repeatedly raped a 17-year-old girl for three months, police in this Uttar Pradesh district said here on Tuesday. The accused, Jog Baba (23), was arrested from the railway station here and the girl, who was also with him, was rescued on Monday, they added.

    The girl, a resident of a village in the Revati police station area, was abducted by the accused in June, Senior Sub-Inspector Ajay Yadav said. In her statement, the teenager has told the police that she met the “tantrik” for her treatment.

    He kidnapped her by promising to marry her, took her to Delhi and Kota, and repeatedly raped her for about three months, the girl has alleged. She has been sent to the district hospital for a medical examination, Yadav said, adding that her father had filed a case of kidnapping against the accused on June 30.

    On the basis of the girl’s statement, police have included the relevant IPC sections dealing with rape and those of the POCSO Act in the case on Monday.

  • Ward boy held for molesting minor girls in Goan hospital lift 

    By PTI

    PANAJI: A ward boy of a government-run hospital in Goa was arrested on Sunday for allegedly molesting two minor siblings in a lift of the medical facility, a police official said.

    The incident took place between September 23 and 25 when the two sisters, aged 13 and 14, were frequently visiting the North Goa District Hospital in Mapusa town, around 10 km from here, where their mother was admitted, he said.

    “The ward boy used to follow them in the lift and allegedly molested them over the last couple of days,” the official said, quoting a complaint filed by family members of the victims.

    Based on the complaint, the 47-year-old accused was arrested and a case was registered against him under various Indian Penal Code Sections, including 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), and provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, he said.

    Besides, the police have also registered a case against a Mapusa-based doctor for allegedly molesting a woman patient in his clinic on September 22, the official said.

    In her police complaint, the woman alleged that the doctor behaved inappropriately with her during her checkup, he said.

    The doctor has moved a local court seeking anticipatory bail in the case, he added.