Mumbai: A city magistrate court has sentenced a 65-year-old man to three years of rigourous imprisonment for inappropriately touching his daughter-in-law and asking her for sexual favours.
The senior citizen was sentenced last Wednesday. The court observed while deciding the quantum of punishment that it cannot be forgotten that he is the father-in-law of the woman and had committed such a heinous act. Showing unnecessary leniency will send a very bad message to society, it said, adding that such types of offences are increasing day-by-day.
The Metropolitan Magistrate MV Chavhan of Mazgaon court pointed out further that the incident had taken place with the complainant at her own matrimonial home and at the hands of her father-in-law, when he should have been protective towards her.
The man had sought leniency on the basis of his age and ailments and requested to be released on a bond of good behaviour under the Probation of Offenders Act.
Magistrate Chavhan said the offence is against a woman, her modesty and character and that, in the circumstances and facts, the court does not wish to give him the benefit of the Act.
The incident took place on May 16 last year. The woman had tied the knot with the man’s son a few months prior and had started residing with her in-laws.
Some time before the incident, she had suffered from a health condition and had to be hospitalised and then be taken to her parents' home. She had only a day earlier, when she had returned from her parental home and was in the kitchen around 8.30 am, that the man had misbehaved with her.
Not only had he touched her inappropriately, he had said to her that a lot of problems were happening in their home because of her and that she must engage in a particular sexual behaviour with him, as per a pandit’s advice, to solve the issue.
The woman’s in-laws had not supported her when she told them about the incident and she was driven out of her home. She lodged the complaint with 12 days’ delay with the support of her family. The court said it is a case of modesty of a woman in her own home and said it is natural to cause delay in decision to lodge FIR.
