In 2013, the girls had complained that when they were eating vada pav at a stall, the two men came to the spot and demanded their phone numbers. (Representational)Two men who stalked two minor girls and sought their contact numbers were sentenced to one year in jail by a special court earlier this week.
The two men, both aged 19 when the incident took place in 2013, were found guilty under Section 354 D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.
In 2013, the girls had complained that when they were eating vada pav at a stall, the two men came to the spot and demanded their phone numbers. They also followed the girls to a distance, after which the the minors raised an alarm and the men were arrested.
The men, in their defence, had said that though it was claimed that the incident took place at a public place, there was no independent witness to corroborate this other than the testimonies of the girls.
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The court said, “Though it is assumed that other people were present near the spot of incident, it is the fact of common knowledge that offences of stalking and harassment of women are committed by concealing it from others, by taking precaution that no person would hear the words of notice such indecent act of accused.”
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