Judge accuses lawyer of ogling, stalking; files FIR in Uttar Pradesh

LUCKNOW: A woman judge in inon Saturday lodged an FIR against a lawyer, accusing him of 'voyeurism' and stalking. The police have started a probe after registering the FIR under relevant sections of the IPC at Kotwali police station.
Additional SP, Hamirpur, Anoop Kumar, told TOI that lawyer Mohammed Haroon has been booked on the complaint of a Hamirpur judge. As per the FIR, the judge said she joined the court recently. In the fourth week of July (18-24), she noticed that the accused advocate was ogling at her through a window slit and also when she was walking out of her chamber. "It happened twice that week," the FIR says.
"I did not know the name of the advocate at that point of time, but I recognised him as he had appeared in my courtroom on July 25 around 8:45 pm. After going for my usual walk at the Yamuna walkway, I sat down at a bench there. I had earphones on and was listening to music. Two minutes later, I saw the same advocate standing right next to the bench. He was trying to say something. Out of courtesy, I removed my earphones and exchanged greetings," she says in her FIR.
"The lawyer struck a dialogue saying she would be feeling good after being posted in the district. He also said he didn't like when she was posted in another district," the FIR quotes the judge.
"A few days later, I saw him again staring at me when I was walking out of my chamber. It made me very uncomfortable. On August 1, I went for a walk and even sent my live location to a friend because of the fear of any untoward incident happening. At 8.40 pm, I sat on a bench and within minutes, the accused walked towards the bench," she says.
"I confronted him and asked his name. I also told him that his conduct had made me feel disturbed. I also asked him why he was ogling at me through the window slit of my chamber and warned him not to repeat the conduct again," the judge has said in the FIR.
"However, the accused would stalk, and also appear in my courtroom even when there was no matter listed," she has alleged in the FIR, adding that despite being reprimanded, he kept following her when she would go for a walk.
"I was terrified by this behaviour and in fear called a friend and decided to sit on a bench so that he would stop following me," she said, narrating the sequence of events of August 18.
"He came towards me and mumbled something. But I kept walking and got a whiff of liquor smell coming off him. I filmed him turning towards me and then walking to-and-fro at the same place, waiting for me to walk again. Thereafter, I decided to speak to senior judges and lodge an FIR," she said in her complaint. President of district bar council, Dinesh Kumar Sharma, has condemned the act of the lawyer.