The Bombay High Court has ruled that touching a woman’s body, not just her feet, without permission is a violation of her reputation. To this extent the trial court upheld the verdict given by convicting the accused. The accused filed a petition in the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of the sentence imposed by the lower court stating that he had only touched the woman’s feet. Aurangabad bench of Justice NG Sevlikar dismissed the petition.
Going into the details of the case .. a woman from Partur town in Jalna district of Maharashtra .. complained to the police in July 2014 that the accused had come home and touched her feet in the middle of the night while her husband was away. The grandmother said she was alone when the accused entered the house. The accused, who asked when your husband would be there that evening, came home at around 11 pm. She said she woke up after touching her feet while she was asleep and when she woke up she found the man sitting next to her.
Based on her complaint, the police registered a case and arrested the person next door. However, the accused confessed that he was not the one who went to her house at that time. He later argued that she had agreed to come into the house without locking the door from the inside. However, he objected that he had not touched her feet with sexual intent and that it was not fair to complain 12 hours after the incident.
The Jalna Sessions Court, which heard the case, found the accused guilty. If the victim enters the house in the middle of the night and sees her touching her feet, it makes sense that she acted with sexual intent. He was sentenced to one year in prison. The woman was of the opinion that touching any part of the body, not the feet, without permission was a violation of dignity. This was challenged by the accused in the Bombay High Court. The lower court upheld the judgment. Citing the judgment of the Supreme Court in 1996 on this occasion.
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