COIMBATORE: A protection order under the recently amended Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women (Amendment) Act 2025, which bars an accused from establishing contact with the victim, has been invoked in a case booked at Mettupalayam police limit in the district. Police claimed that it was the first protection order issued in the western region of Tamil Nadu.
Police said M Abdul Rasak (48) from Mettupalayam was arrested by police for allegedly stalking and harassing a 19-year-old woman on March 23 this year. Investigation revealed that he was facing similar charges in another case registered at Mettupalayam railway police station, police added. Meanwhile, based on directions from the district police superintendent K Karthikeyan, Mettupalayam police requested Coimbatore North RDO (Executive Magistrate) to invoke the provision and obtained the order on Wednesday.
Police said that issuance of the order can be termed as a bail bond for the accused and a protection order for the victim. "Section 7C of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women (TNPHW) Act introduces a protection order to prevent the accused from contacting the victim in any manner, including contact through an intermediary. A violation of this order is a cognisable and non-bailable offence, punishable by up to three years imprisonment and a fine up to Rs 1 lakh," a senior police officer said.