{"id":10993,"date":"2024-11-16T10:48:22","date_gmt":"2024-11-16T10:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/?p=10993"},"modified":"2024-11-16T10:51:21","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T10:51:21","slug":"madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/","title":{"rendered":"Madras High Court quashes sexual harassment charges, says teenage affection isn&#8217;t a crime"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"10993\" class=\"elementor elementor-10993\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-4753e05 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"4753e05\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-a1a9602\" data-id=\"a1a9602\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-204dea2 elementor-drop-cap-yes elementor-drop-cap-view-default elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"204dea2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;drop_cap&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t<style>\/*! elementor - v3.13.3 - 28-05-2023 *\/\n.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-stacked .elementor-drop-cap{background-color:#69727d;color:#fff}.elementor-widget-text-editor.elementor-drop-cap-view-framed .elementor-drop-cap{color:#69727d;border:3px solid;background-color:transparent}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap{margin-top:8px}.elementor-widget-text-editor:not(.elementor-drop-cap-view-default) .elementor-drop-cap-letter{width:1em;height:1em}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap{float:left;text-align:center;line-height:1;font-size:50px}.elementor-widget-text-editor .elementor-drop-cap-letter{display:inline-block}<\/style>\t\t\t\t<figure id=\"attachment_10996\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10996\" style=\"width: 619px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-10996\" src=\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-13-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"619\" height=\"619\" srcset=\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-13-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-13-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-13-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-13-450x450.jpeg 450w, https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-13.jpeg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 619px) 100vw, 619px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10996\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Madras High Court quashes sexual harassment charges<\/figcaption><\/figure><p>In a landmark judgment, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court\u00a0acquitted\u00a0a\u00a0young\u00a0man on\u00a0charges\u00a0of\u00a0sexual\u00a0harassment,\u00a0saying\u00a0expressions of affection,\u00a0such\u00a0as\u00a0hugs and kisses,\u00a0between teenagers in\u00a0consenting\u00a0relationships cannot be\u00a0construed\u00a0as\u00a0criminal.<\/p><p>The case\u00a0began\u00a0with\u00a0a complaint filed by a 19-year-old woman\u00a0who\u00a0was\u00a0accused\u00a0by\u00a0her romantic partner\u00a0of\u00a0hugging\u00a0and\u00a0kissing\u00a0her\u00a0when\u00a0they\u00a0had\u00a0a\u00a0private\u00a0meeting. She complained\u00a0to the police\u00a0when\u00a0he refused to marry her,\u00a0thus\u00a0a First Information Report (FIR)\u00a0was taken against him\u00a0under section 354-A(1)(i) of the Indian Penal Code.\u00a0Charges\u00a0made\u00a0against\u00a0him are that he has made\u00a0physical contact or advances\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0sexual\u00a0nature without his consent or otherwise assented to in that context.<\/p><p>Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, in his order dated November 4, ruled\u00a0out\u00a0the incident\u00a0from\u00a0being\u00a0a\u00a0fit\u00a0case\u00a0that\u00a0would\u00a0fall\u00a0under the said section of the IPC.\u00a0According to\u00a0the court,\u00a0the\u00a0interaction\u00a0of\u00a0physical\u00a0nature\u00a0described in the complaint\u00a0is\u00a0a natural expression of affection\u00a0coming\u00a0out of\u00a0a consensual teenage relationship\u00a0where\u00a0no\u00a0criminal intent\u00a0was involved at all.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has-el-gap el-gap-default elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-49a751b elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"49a751b\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-9a88bed\" data-id=\"9a88bed\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4bef96 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c4bef96\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><span style=\"font-size: 16.604px; font-family: 'Public Sans', system-ui, sans-serif; font-weight: var(--title-fw-bold);\">ALSO READ<\/span><\/p><div class=\"post-meta post-meta-a post-meta-left post-meta-single\"><h2 class=\"is-title post-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/supreme-court-rejects-plea-to-ban-whatsapp-over-privacy-and-security-concerns\/\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">Supreme Court Rejects Plea to Ban WhatsApp Over Privacy and Security Concerns<\/span><\/a><\/h2><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-8e170cb elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"8e170cb\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-e39267d\" data-id=\"e39267d\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fbce1e6 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"fbce1e6\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>&#8220;It naturally follows that two girlfriend- oyfriend teenagers are likely to hug or kiss each other. Such behaviour cannot, by any stretch, constitute an offence under Section 354-A(1)(i) of the IPC,&#8221; Justice Venkatesh ruled in his judgment.<br \/><br \/>Therefore, it called for judicial discretion to prevent legal provisions from being abused and also stated that such pursuits would unfairly stigmatize the young people involved in consensual relationships. It explained thresholds of law should not be allowed to intrude on matters of mutual affection between teenagers unless clear elements have been evidenced that constitute coercion or criminal intent. This was after the police inquiry was closed and a final report presented before the Judicial Magistrate at Srivaigundam. Quashing the FIR, the court, while emphasizing on a sensitive approach towards cases of young persons and consensual relationships, observed that the cases are tried strictly by ensuring due process.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<section class=\"has-el-gap el-gap-default elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-1d8b944 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"1d8b944\" data-element_type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-no\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-b80ec40\" data-id=\"b80ec40\" data-element_type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-ef2abe0 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The case\u00a0began\u00a0with\u00a0a complaint filed by a 19-year-old woman\u00a0who\u00a0was\u00a0accused\u00a0by\u00a0her romantic partner\u00a0of\u00a0hugging\u00a0and\u00a0kissing\u00a0her\u00a0when\u00a0they\u00a0had\u00a0a\u00a0private\u00a0meeting. She complained\u00a0to the police\u00a0when\u00a0he refused to marry her,\u00a0thus\u00a0a First Information Report (FIR)\u00a0was taken against him\u00a0under section 354-A(1)(i) of the Indian Penal Code.\u00a0Charges\u00a0made\u00a0against\u00a0him are that<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":10994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,1615],"tags":[203,118,1094,1131,57,91,695],"class_list":["post-10993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-most-recent","category-november-2024","tag-crime","tag-fir","tag-indian-penal-code","tag-ipc","tag-judgment","tag-madras-high-court","tag-sexual-harassment"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.10 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Madras High Court quashes sexual harassment charges, says teenage affection isn&#039;t a crime Legal Mitra<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Madras High Court quashes sexual harassment charges, says teenage affection isn&#039;t a crime Legal Mitra\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a landmark judgment, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court\u00a0acquitted\u00a0a\u00a0young\u00a0man on\u00a0charges\u00a0of\u00a0sexual\u00a0harassment,\u00a0saying\u00a0expressions of affection,\u00a0such\u00a0as\u00a0hugs and kisses,\u00a0between teenagers in\u00a0consenting\u00a0relationships cannot be\u00a0construed\u00a0as\u00a0criminal. The case\u00a0began\u00a0with\u00a0a complaint filed by a 19-year-old woman\u00a0who\u00a0was\u00a0accused\u00a0by\u00a0her romantic partner\u00a0of\u00a0hugging\u00a0and\u00a0kissing\u00a0her\u00a0when\u00a0they\u00a0had\u00a0a\u00a0private\u00a0meeting. She complained\u00a0to the police\u00a0when\u00a0he refused to marry her,\u00a0thus\u00a0a First Information Report (FIR)\u00a0was taken against him\u00a0under section 354-A(1)(i) of the Indian Penal Code.\u00a0Charges\u00a0made\u00a0against\u00a0him are that\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Legal Mitra\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-11-16T10:48:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-11-16T10:51:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Designer-12.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Khushboo Sharma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Khushboo Sharma\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/\",\"name\":\"Madras High Court quashes sexual harassment charges, says teenage affection isn't a crime Legal Mitra\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2024-11-16T10:48:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-11-16T10:51:21+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4cee72b7e628d791098c1744a9e20752\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/16\/madras-high-court-quashes-sexual-harassment-charges-says-teenage-affection-isnt-a-crime\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Madras High Court quashes sexual harassment charges, says teenage affection isn&#8217;t a crime\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/legalmitra.com\/\",\"name\":\"Legal Mitra\",\"description\":\"more than a news paper - 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