Following the Bombay High Court's reversal of Tarun Tejpal's acquittal, this opinion piece argues that Indian men have largely avoided serious engagement with the #MeToo movement, retreating into defensiveness rather than examining complicity. It contrasts the narrow legal question of whether conduct meets a criminal standard with the broader social question of what everyday behaviors and silences enable sexual violence.
Citing a 2022 academic study identifying contradictory media framings of men in #MeToo coverage, and past commentary describing men as the 'missing piece' of India's reckoning, the piece argues the discourse remains stuck on due process and false accusations rather than self-examination. It calls for men to interrogate assumptions about flirting, seniority, and group loyalty that let coercion go unaddressed until it becomes a criminal matter.
The full dispatch is available from the source below.