Two law students have moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to make amendment of provisions under the Indian Penal Code relating to sexual offences against women 'gender neutral'.
Saying that "men's lives matter", the petitioners, Anam Kamil and Shrikant Prasad, argued these laws were made 150 years ago when there was actually need of such laws for the upliftment of women but they are not needed as women are developed and empowered now.
They have sought directions to reconsider the laws for offences against women under IPC including Sexual Harassment ( 354A-354D) Rape( Sec 376) criminal intimidation ( Sec 506) Insulting the modesty of women( Sec 509) and Cruelty to women (498A).
The petitioners said that such provisions are discriminatory and affect the fundamental right to equality of men, which is a violation of Articles 14 and 15(1) of the Constitution.
The petitoners cite the recent case of a viral video where a Lucknow cabdriver was slapped by a girl and argued that the there was a rise in trend of women misusing the laws related to sexual harassment.
According to the petitioners, in today's era, women intentionally assault men while their companions makes video clips to make it viral on social media and "the dignity, respect, honour, career of such innocent boys who gets stuck with such fake feminists" are completely finished.
"But what about a man who was charged with the offence of rape and is proven innocent. Does society treat him in the same way as they used to do before he was trapped in a false case? The answer is no." the petitioners have remarked.
The petitioners have also compared the laws with decriminalisation of consensual gay sex and homosexuality in 2018, saying that in the same way, the society and the legislature should recognise the crimes of cruelty and harassment being committed against males.
