“Dalai Lama was only joking”: Delhi HC dismisses plea over video clip | Latest news from India

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking action under the Child Sexual Abuse Act against the Dalai Lama over a video in which the 89-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader kisses a child and is seen trying to “play” with the boy.

A bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela held that the child had expressed a desire to hug the leader and that the Dalai Lama was trying to do the child a favour.

“This court has seen the video and comes to the conclusion that it was done in full public view. It was the minor who had expressed his desire and intention to meet and hug the accused. Looking at the video in its overall perspective, it can be said that accused No. 4 (Dalai Lama) was trying to be playful and amuse the child. It must also be seen in the context of Tibetan culture,” the court said, dismissing a public interest litigation filed by the association of NGOs.

“In dealing with such petitions, one must also take into account the fact that he heads a religious sect that is not exactly on good terms with the ‘foreign power’. This Court notes that Respondent 4 (Dalai Lama) has already apologized to those who may have felt offended by his actions,” the court added.

In April 2023, a controversy erupted over a video showing the Dalai Lama interacting with a child at the Tsuglakhang Temple in Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader and Tibetan government-in-exile are based. In the video, the Dalai Lama can be seen inviting the boy onto the platform he is sitting on and pointing to his cheek, after which the child kisses him and hugs him. The boy then asked if he could kiss the Dalai Lama, after which the leader was heard saying, “You can suck my tongue too.”

The Dalai Lama’s private office responded to public outrage over the video clip with an apology. “His Holiness often teases people he meets in an ‘innocent and playful’ manner, even in public and in front of cameras. He regrets the incident,” the statement said on April 10, 2023.

The petition, filed through advocate Noopur Singhal, alleged that the manner in which the ringleader hugged and kissed the child was inappropriate, uncalled for and unjustified and was made an offence under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (Pocso Act). It was alleged that the authorities had failed in their duty to protect the rights of children and safeguard them from sexual harassment and had turned the entire system into a farce.

“The silence of the authorities would prove detrimental to the secure future of 480 million children, more than a third of the total population of India. Therefore, they may not be able to approach the court for appropriate relief,” the plea said.

During the hearing on Tuesday, advocate Namrata Mishra, representing the NGO, urged the court to take cognizance of the entire incident on its own initiative. Mishra also claimed that several media outlets had published the video and also urged the court to pass an order redacting the identity of the child.

The court rejected the application on the grounds that it was not intentional.

“All this has happened in the public eye. He (the Dalai Lama) has a state which is hostile to him. There is nothing deliberate about it. To get involved in all this? It is not a public interest litigation (PIL) that we will fight. The government will look into it. We do not want to get involved in it. There is no public interest. It is not a PIL that we should fight. There are a large number of gurus who even kick people. What should we do? This is not our domain. We cannot get involved in it,” the court observed.