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Delhi HC: Woman’s attire cannot justify harassment
The Delhi high court on Monday set aside a trial court's acquittal of a man accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in July 2013. The bench of Justice Chandrasekharan Sudha strongly…
The Story in Brief
The Delhi high court on Monday set aside a trial court's acquittal of a man accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in July 2013. The bench of Justice Chandrasekharan Sudha strongly criticised the defence's cross-examination, which focused on the victim's clothing, including suggestions that her wearing jeans could 'corrupt young boys.' The court held that a woman's choice of attire is a personal matter and cannot be used to question her character or shift blame. The answer, it said, lies in teaching children to control their conduct, not in controlling what girls wear.
The Indian Opinion
The Delhi high court's ruling firmly rejects the tired narrative that women invite harassment by what they wear. Yet this mindset persists in police stations, homes, and some lawyers' arguments. The real test will be whether lower courts now routinely strike down such cross-examination as irrelevant. Until every victim's clothing is deemed off-limits in court, this judgment remains just one strong signal, not the final word. How many more cases must reach the high court before trial judges act?
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
