Emails, social media posts lowering dignity of woman an offence, says HC

Written words, either through email or on social media, that could lower the dignity of a woman constitutes an offence, the Bombay High Court said while refusing to quash a case against a man.

A division bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Neela Gokhale dismissed the petition filed by a man seeking to quash the 2009 case lodged against him under section 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. The man had allegedly written offensive and insulting emails to the complainant who lives in the same south Mumbai society as he does. The emails, as per the complainant, made comments on her character and were forwarded to several other society members too. The man sought quashing of the FIR contending that, as per section 509, the word 'uttered' would only mean 'spoken words' and not words 'written' in an email or social media posts and so on.

The HC, however, dismissed his arguments observing courts must adopt a purposive approach of interpretation. "Advent of moder