KOZHIKODE: An order by a lower court in Kerala that mentions the dressing style of the complainant with regard to the anticipatory bail plea of the writer and activist Civic Chandran in a sexual harassment case has sparked controversy.
The Kozhikode Sessions Court judge S Krishnakumar issued the controversial order saying the photographs produced revealed the complainant dressed in a "sexually provocative" manner. The order was issued while granting anticipatory bail to Civic Chandran in the second sexual harassment case registered against him by the Koyilandi police in Kozhikode district.
"The photographs produced along with the bail application by the accused would reveal that the defacto complainant herself is exposing to dresses which are having some sexual provocative one. So, section 354A will not prima facie stand against the accused," the Kozhikode Sessions Court said in its order issued on August 12.
The court also said that in order to file a case under section 354A IPC, there must be sufficient evidence to prove that a woman's honour and dignity have been violated. As per the complaint, the accused Civic Chandran sexually harassed a young woman writer at a camp held at Nandi Beach near Moodadi in Kozhikode district in February 2020.
Two sexual harassment cases have been registered against Chandran at the Koyilandi police station. In the first case, the court had earlier granted anticipatory bail to Civic Chandran on the grounds of his old age and health problems. In this case, Chandran sexually harassed a writer belonging to a scheduled caste during a book launch event in Koyilandi in April.