Mumbai-based advocates: Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj seeks support for man trapped in ‘bogus rape case’
by Piyush Mathur
Deepika Narayan Bharadwaj—India’s well-known equal-rights activist and founding director of Ekam Nyaay Foundation—issued an urgent LinkedIn appeal earlier today, April 22, 2026, seeking legal assistance for a man in Mumbai entangled in what she calls a ‘totally bogus rape case’.
Bhardwaj’s post describes the matter as arising from a consensual two-year relationship that ended, after which an adult woman, who knew the law, lodged a rape complaint. The post adds that the defence counsel mishandled the matter by withdrawing a quashing petition and opting for a discharge application, which the court subsequently rejected.
Bhardwaj asserts that the evidence is in the man’s favour and emphasises the severe impact on his career and livelihood after three years of legal proceedings. She notes that some details were omitted to prevent identification of the parties involved.
Bhardwaj’s appeal specifically calls for Mumbai-based advocates to ‘take up the case and fight it strong’, inviting interested individuals to contact her directly via LinkedIn message or comment.
A screenshot of the appeal is included in this report; the full URL for her post is this:
This is a screenshot of an April 22, 2026, LinkedIn post made by Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj. (Image credit: Deepika Narayan Bhardwaj)
Background
Bhardwaj has built her profile over years by focussing on contested areas of India’s gender discourse, including highlighting the negative consequences of laws that exclude India’s men as prospective victims of gendered violence and advocating for fair treatment of men falsely accused of crimes against women. She has produced notable documentaries such as Martyrs of Marriage (2016) and India’s Sons (2022), which examine issues around legal provisions and false accusations from a gender-neutral standpoint.
It may be pertinent to note that in the Indian context, the term ‘lawyer’ is broader and less formal than the term ‘advocate’—which is meant to be used—under the Advocates Act, 1961—only to refer to those enrolled with a State Bar Council and entitled to practise law before the country’s courts. Bhardwaj’s LinkedIn appeal is delimited to Mumbai-based advocates.