Bombay High Court Quashes FIR Against Man Booked For Insulting Woman's Modesty By 'Moving His Hands Over Nude Lady-Shaped Paperweight'

The Bombay High Court quashed an FIR against a Superintendent Engineer of MSEDCL, accused of insulting a female colleague’s modesty by moving his hands over a nude lady-shaped paperweight. The complainant, an executive engineer, alleged that the engineer’s actions made her feel embarrassed and insulted. The Vishakha Committee of MSEDCL conducted an inquiry but found no evidence to support her claims. The complainant then filed an FIR under Section 509 of the IPC. The court noted that the paperweight’s gender was indeterminate and that other female employees did not feel insulted by it. The court emphasized the lack of material evidence and the importance of statements from female employees who did not support the prosecution’s story. The bench concluded that the complainant failed to prove her case, leading to the quashing of the FIR.