Mumbai: After spending more than five years in prison since his arrest in January 2017, a 28-year-old man was acquitted by a special court. The court ruled that holding a girl’s hand to propose marriage cannot be deemed to have a sexual intent.
The incident dates back to December 17, 2016, when the accused, residing in the same building as the girl, proposed to her as she was on her way to classes. The girl’s family opposed the relationship as they had already arranged her marriage with another man.
It was claimed that the accused and the victim were well acquainted, with the accused being a close friend of the victim’s brother. The trio often went out together, which the victim’s family disapproved of.
Following the proposal, the victim’s family confronted the accused, who insisted that she marry him or he would not allow her to marry anyone else. Subsequently, the victim’s mother filed a police report, alleging harassment.
The victim testified that the accused was merely a friend, but he started spreading rumours about their relationship, leading to her embarrassment and her brother’s disapproval. Consequently, she was barred from attending college.
In its verdict, the court noted the familiarity between the accused and the victim’s family, as they resided in the same building and socialised together. The court concluded that the accused’s proposal lacked any sexual intent based on the victim’s testimony.
