High Court Reverses Molestation Conviction: ‘I Love You’ Statement Insufficient to Prove Sexual Intent

A man previously convicted of molestation has been acquitted by the Bombay High Court’s Nagpur bench. The court determined that the phrase ‘I love you,’ on its own, is insufficient to establish sexual intent. The case involved an incident in 2015 where a man approached a 17-year-old girl, held her hand, and professed his feelings. The High Court judge, Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke, ruled that expressing affection isn’t inherently offensive or intended to cause a violation of modesty. The judgment emphasized that a sexual act requires actions like inappropriate touching, offensive gestures, or forcible removal of clothing. The man was initially convicted by a sessions court in Nagpur in 2017 under the Indian Penal Code and POCSO Act and sentenced to three years. The High Court reversed this, stating the prosecution failed to prove an intent to establish sexual contact.