New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action against the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetan people, under the POCSO Act for kissing a child on the lips.
The plea highlighted that a startling video of the incident went viral across various social media platforms in April 2023, exposing the child’s identity and leading to numerous discussions and debates on news channels. These discussions, the plea argued, had a grave impact on the child’s well-being."This unfathomable sin transpired inside a temple. The poor little child simply asked if he could hug the Dalai Lama," the plea stated.
The bench of Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela noted that the incident took place one and a half years ago and occurred in full public view. The Dalai Lama has since apologized for his actions. The PIL, filed by a confederation of NGOs and Jeroninio Almeida, aimed to be a wake-up call regarding the silence of authorities and media on crimes committed against children by revered religious figures, including the Dalai Lama. The petition called for appropriate action and the establishment of guidelines to protect children during spiritual or religious gatherings.
The plea described the incident in detail, stating, "How the perpetrator hugged the child and then kissed his lips and then embraced him repeatedly before asking him to suck his tongue, is improper, inadequate, inappropriate, uncalled for and classified as an offence under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO Act)."
Additionally, the plea mentioned that members of the Tibetan community defended the Dalai Lama by claiming that 'sticking one's tongue out' is an ancient Tibetan greeting. The petition emphasized that despite existing laws to protect children from sexual offences, society has shown irresponsibility towards ensuring the utmost care and protection for children. "It is a sad reflection on the attitude of indifference of society towards the violation of human dignity of the victims of sexual abuse, especially when victims are children," the plea stated.
Following the public outcry, the Dalai Lama issued a public apology on April 10, 2023, acknowledging the inappropriate nature of his behavior in the video clip.
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