Can’t take lenient view of molestation cases: HC

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to quash criminal proceedings against two youth booked for outraging the modesty and molesting a woman even after the two accused and the victim settled the case between them, Harish V Nair reports.

The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to quash criminal proceedings against two youth booked for outraging the modesty and molesting a woman even after the two accused and the victim settled the case between them.

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The court was of the view that such incidents were on the rise and courts cannot take a lenient view.

"Considering the fact that such cases of molestation and rape are increasing day by day and serious views have already been taken in all such cases, the present application for quashing the FIR should not be allowed," Justice Kailash Gambhir said.

An FIR under Indian Penal Code Section 354 (outraging the modesty of a woman) and 509 (Criminal intimidation) were registered against the two accused -- hailing from Lucknow and Jharkhand respectively — by the Mukherjee Nagar police for holding the hands of the woman and trying to outrage her modesty.

The victim, a native of Nagaland, later settled the matter with the accused mainly because she could not come all the way from Nagaland to Delhi.