Idea that a woman in jeans can 'corrupt young boys' shows troubling mindset: HC
In her 50-page verdict, the bench said what a girl or woman chooses to wear is entirely a matter of personal choice
The Delhi High Court has ruled that a woman's choice of attire cannot be used during cross-examination to question her character or shift blame onto her. In a 50-page verdict, the court emphasized that a woman's clothing neither diminishes her dignity nor provides justification or excuse for unlawful conduct directed against her.
The bench noted that questions based on outdated notions of how a woman should dress have no place in a court of law and cannot be used as a means to characterize or blame the accused. The court stressed that what a girl or woman chooses to wear is a matter of personal choice and that it should not be the responsibility of parents, society, or the accused to control her clothing.
Instead, the court argued that parents and society should teach children to respect personal boundaries and treat everyone with dignity, regardless of where they live or what they wear. The court also criticized the line of questioning in a recent case, where the accused alleged that local residents objected to the victim's Western-style clothing, and questioned her about her attire when visiting a doctor.
The court found this questioning to be irrelevant and improper, as it aimed to embarrass and morally judge the victim based on her clothing, rather than focusing on the facts of the case.
Written by urgent.news from Hindustan Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
