A Mumbai sessions court has upheld the conviction of a man for sending inappropriate messages to a former corporator through WhatsApp. The court found that late-night texts like "You are looking very smart," "You are slim," and "I like you" are obscene.
Additional Sessions Judge D G Dhoble delivered the ruling at the Dindoshi sessions court. The court said that obscenity should be looked at from the perspective of an average person on community standards.
The court noted that the accused sent the messages between 11:00 pm and 12:30 m. The messages included "You are fair," "Are you married or not?" and "My age is 40 years." The accused also sent photographs with the texts.
The judge said that a married woman or her husband would not tolerate such messages from an unknown person. The court added that the situation is more serious when the woman is a known figure and a former corporator.
The court stated that the accused did not provide any proof of a prior relationship with the complainant. The judge ruled that the messages insulted the woman's modesty. The man was first convicted in 2022 by a magistrate court. He received a three-month prison sentence. He later challenged the verdict in the sessions court.
In his defence, the accused claimed that he was framed due to political rivalry. The court dismissed this argument. It said there was no evidence to support his claim. The court claimed that no woman would compromise her dignity by falsely accusing someone in such a case.
The sessions court confirmed that the prosecution had proven the man sent inappropriate messages and pictures. It upheld the magistrate’s original conviction and sentence.
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