'Saying I love you isn't sexual harassment': Bombay HC draws the line; clears man in Pocso case

MUMBAI: The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday acquitted a 27-year-old man accused of sexually harassing a minor girl in 2015, observing that he could not be convicted for merely saying “I love you” to the girl and holding her hand.

Simply saying “I love you” to a minor girl does not amount to sexual harassment: HC

The incident dates back to October 2017 in Nagpur when the 17-year-old girl was walking back home from her college. The accused, who was also aged 17, allegedly approached her on a motorcycle, held her hand and said ‘I love you’. Based on her complaint, the police registered an FIR against the accused.

A sessions court had convicted the man under Section 354A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code as well as Section 8 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.