{
  "id": 9315313,
  "title": "‘Salwar Removal, Pressing Chest Not Attempt To Rape’: SC Takes Suo Motu Note Of HC Ruling",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/salwar-removal-pressing-chest-not-attempt-to-rape-sc-takes-suo-motu",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T10:02:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/salwar-removal-pressing-chest-not-attempt-to-rape-sc-takes-suo-motu-note-of-hc-ruling"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On Wednesday, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of a Patna High Court ruling that dismissed allegations of attempting to rape a woman for attempting to remove her salwar and pressing her chest. According to Live Law, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant expressed concern over the court's observations, labeling some as \"offensive.\" The CJI stated that the Supreme Court could only review the order after hearing the accused, who was subsequently served notice by the local police. The Patna High Court had earlier ruled that allegations of salwar removal and chest pressing did not amount to an attempt to rape, as there was no evidence of penetration or a clear intent to commit the offence. The court instead found the allegations aligned with Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with outraging a woman's modesty. This ruling set aside the appellant's conviction under Sections 376 and 511 of the IPC, which relate to rape and attempt to commit an offence, respectively. The Patna High Court's decision had previously been brought to the Supreme Court's attention in July during a separate case. Senior advocates Shobha Gupta and HS Phoolka had previously raised concerns regarding the court's sensitivity in handling similar sexual offence cases.",
  "summary": "The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognisance of a Patna High Court ruling that held that allegations of attempting to remove a woman’s salwar and pressing her chest did not constitute the offence of “attempt to rape”. According to a Live Law report, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant observed that some of the remarks made by the Patna High Court were…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}