As Raksha Bandhan commences amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Indians gear up to celebrate the festival virtually, the order by Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court comes as a shocker.
The court laid out a bizarre condition to a man who was charged for molesting a woman. The bench ordered him to get a ‘Rakhi’ tied by the complainant on Raksha Bandhan and promise to “protect her from all times to come”, as reported by NDTV.
Raksha Bandhan in Sanskrit literally means ‘the bond of protection’; the word Raksha means ‘Protection’ and ‘Bandhan’ means ‘Knot’.
It is an Indian festival when sisters tie a rakhi, on their brother’s wrist and pray for his happiness and prosperity. Meanwhile brothers pledge to protect their sisters.
The accused Vikram Bagri was also directed by the court to pay Rs 11,000 to the woman as a customary offering brothers give to sisters as a part of their blessings.
Justice Rohit Arya passed the order and said, "The applicant, along with his, wife shall visit the house of the complainant with Rakhi thread on August 3, 2020, at 11 AM with a box of sweets and request the complainant to tie the Rakhi band to him with the promise to protect her to the best of his ability for all times to come."
Bagri is accused of molesting a 30-year-old woman in Ujjain by entering her house on April 20. He has been charged under section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the IPC.
Besides that the judge also directed Bagri to give an additional Rs 5,000 to the complainant’s son for purchasing clothes and sweets.
