In a recent judgment on August 12, 2025, Madras High Court acquitted a man convicted in 2018 for allegedly molesting a mentally challenged woman, ruling that merely pulling a woman’s hand does not constitute an offence without clear evidence of criminal intent.
Justice R.N. Manjula, presiding over the Madurai Bench, highlighted that the act of pulling a woman’s hand alone is insufficient to establish the offence of offending her modesty under Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code. The court noted that the prosecution failed to provide factual evidence of the accused’s intent, leading to the benefit of doubt being given to the defendant.
The case involved Murugesan, who was sentenced to three years of strict imprisonment by a lower court for pulling the hand of a mentally challenged woman in Madurai. The trial court had convicted him under Section 354 IPC and the SC/ST Act. However, the High Court found significant issues in the prosecution’s evidence, including contradictions and lack of clarity about the accused’s intent. Since the victim could not testify due to her mental condition and the eyewitness account lacked evidence, the court observed that the benefit of doubt must go to the accused.
Justice Manjula criticized the lower court for failing to properly assess the evidentiary standards required for such a conviction. The High Court’s decision highlights the necessity for clear and convincing evidence to establish criminal intent in cases involving allegations of molestation. This judgment highlights the importance of upholding the principle that an accused person is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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