New Delhi: Union minister for women and child development Annapurna Devi has slammed the Allahabad High Court’s latest ruling that ‘grabbing a girl’s breasts and breaking her pyjama string’ does not amount to attempt to rape but ‘aggravated sexual assault’.
Condemning the order, the minister said that ‘such views have no place in the civilised society’. Saying that she ‘completely disagrees with the verdict’, Annapurna has sought the Supreme Court’ intervention.
The case dates back to 2021, when two men – Pawan and Akash – grabbed the breasts of an 11-year-old girl and attempted to drag her under a culvert in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. In the process, they broke her pyjama string. However, the girl’s screams alerted passers-by and the two accused fled.
The two were later arrested and charged under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and Attempt to Rape. The two then moved the high court, praying for dilution of charges. This was when the high court made its ruling.
Swati Maliwal, former chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP, had also called the order “very unfortunate”. Speaking to NDTV, she had said: “I am very shocked at the comments made in the judgment. It is a very shameful scenario. How can the act that was committed by those men not be taken as an act amounting to rape? I don’t understand the logic behind this judgment. The Supreme Court needs to step in.”
Speaking to a news agency, Annapurna said: “I am completely against this decision and the Supreme Court should take serious note of it. Such a ruling has no place in a civilized society. Somewhere, this order will have a negative impact on society. We will discuss this matter further.”
The HC order did not go down too well with netizens either. One of them wondered whether the judge would have said the same had this occurred with a close relative.
