Mumbai special court says calling girl item is derogatory, used to objectify her with sexual intent

A special court in Mumbai has sentenced a man to one and a half years imprisonment for harassing a minor girl, observing that calling a girl an item is derogatory and objectifies her in a sexual manner.

According to a report of PTI, In the order passed on October 20, the court refused to show leniency to the accused and said such roadside Romeos need to be taught a lesson in order to protect women from such uncalled-for behaviour.

Special Judge A J Ansari, designated to hear cases under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, held the man, aged 25 at the time of the incident, guilty of outraging the modesty of the 16-year-old victim by addressing her as an "item" and pulling her hair near her residence in suburban Mumbai in July 2015, PTI reported.

The fact that the accused intentionally caught hold of the the victim's hair and pulled it and called her an item, in my opinion, will certainly go to prove the fact of him having outraged her modesty, the judge said.