The police have registered a case against an executive of a television channel in Mumbai under Section of 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty) of the Indian Penal Code, following an incident at a selection interview at its Worli office on Thursday.
On Friday, a metropolitan magistrate's court granted him bail. During arguments, advocate Jaiwant Shedge argued that the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act be invoked against the HR section executive, Sanjay Donar, although the public prosecutor did not make such a plea.
The Act deals with the offence of atrocity by anyone who “assaults or uses force to any woman belonging to a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe with intent to dishonour or outrage her modesty.”
Asked why the police had not invoked this Act, inspector Mahadik told The Hindu : “We have checked everything. His [the executive's] intention was to outrage modesty, not to humiliate her for her caste.” The police have also registered a case of rioting against the victim's cousins who, they said, went to the television office. A scuffle ensued and cases were slapped on 14 persons.
