2 days ago
Delhi Court Convicts Man Over Insulting Remark About Child's Father
A Delhi court considered a comment made to a woman about her child’s father.
The man asked, “Which papa?”
after the woman told her daughter that her father had arrived.
The court said this was not an innocent question.
It said the remark suggested that the child might have more than one possible father.
The court found that the comment insulted the woman’s dignity and modesty.
The man admitted saying the words but said he did not mean to hurt her.
The judge found the woman’s account reliable even though there was no independent witness.
The man was convicted under a law covering words that insult a woman’s modesty.
The court will decide his sentence separately.
A Delhi court convicted Girdhari Lal under IPC Section 509 for insulting a woman’s modesty.
The case concerned his remark, “Kaun se wale papa?” after Priyanka Gupta referred to her daughter’s father.
The court said the words implied that more than one man could be the child’s father.
It found the remark sexually derogatory and capable of harming the woman’s dignity.
Girdhari Lal admitted making the remark but denied ill intent; sentencing will occur separately.
- Who
- Girdhari Lal was convicted after Priyanka Gupta complained about his remark.
- What
- He was convicted under IPC Section 509 for insulting a woman’s modesty.
- Where
- The incident took place on a street outside Priyanka Gupta’s house in Delhi.
- When
- The incident occurred on March 23, 2021; the conviction date is not specified.
- Why
- The court found that the remark implied doubts about the child’s paternity and the woman’s fidelity, making it sexually derogatory.
Court’s Interpretation
Defense Position
Meaning of the remark
Court’s Interpretation
The court held that the question implied the woman’s child could have more than one possible father and was therefore sexually derogatory.
Defense Position
Girdhari Lal admitted making the remark but claimed it was not spoken with ill intention.
Evidence
Court’s Interpretation
The court relied on the woman’s testimony and the accused’s admission, finding the prosecution had proved the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Defense Position
The defense pointed to the absence of an independent public witness as a reason to question the prosecution’s case.
Key facts
- Accused
- Girdhari Lal
- Complainant
- Priyanka Gupta
- Remark
- “Kaun se wale papa?”
- Applicable law
- IPC Section 509
- Incident date
- March 23, 2021
- Child’s age
- Three years old at the time
- Sentence
- To be decided separately
Quotes
Judicial Magistrate Moksha Bains
The Delhi magistrate who presided over the case.
“Such an imputation goes beyond mere discourtesy or a casual taunt and is capable of affronting the dignity and sense of decency of a woman.”
NDTV
“Dekho papa aa gaye, do not cry.”
NDTV
Sources
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