The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to entertain PIL seeking action against Dalai Lama for allegedly molesting a minor boy by kissing on his lips in February last year. The court remarked that video of the incident suggests that Dalai Lama was trying to be playfull with the kid and the incident has to be seen in the Tibetan culture.
A bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela also noted that Dalai Lama has allready expressed his apology to those offended by his action in the said video.
The court further observed that the said incident occurred in full public glare and the minor boy himself has expressed his desire to hug Dalai Lama.
The court said that the government can examine the issue and there is no public interest in the petition that the court should look into.
It further said that the court cannot ignore the fact that Dalai Lama is the head of a religious sect which is not on the best terms with a foreign power.
The bench was the of the opinion that this particular petition cannot be entertained as a PIL.
The PIL was filed by a NGOs working for children and sought action against Dalai Lama over the said incident. They had raised concerns that often spirirtual Gurus take advantage of the trust they enjoy among the masses to exploit children.
In the clip that went viral and sparked a widespread social media outrage, Dalai Lama was seen kissing a minor boy on the lips and asking him to suck his tongue.
The petitioner urged the high court to take cognisance of the incident and direct the authorities to implicate Dalai Lama under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. They further sought protection of the child's identity and removal of the said video from news platforms and social media.