Calling Hardworking Woman's Earning 'Haraam Ka Maal' Insults Her Modesty: Delhi Court Convicts Man U/S 509 IPC

A Delhi Court has recently observed that the word “haram” means something is earned through ill-gotten or bastardised means and is bound is insult modesty of any hardworking woman.

“The word Haram is not a word which is used simply to insult a person. The word Haram means something which is forbidden and earned with ill-gotten/bastardised means. The word is bound to insult the modesty of any hardworking woman,” JMFC Karanbir Singh of Tis Hazari Courts observed.

The Court made the observations while convicting a man in a case registered against him under Section 509 of Indian Penal Code, 1860.

He was accused of insulting modesty of a woman by uttering the words “haram ka maal le k aa gayi hai, kitno se karwa ke aai hai.”

It was argued by the defence that there was no eye-witness examined by the prosecution and that it was only the complainant who had stated that the accused uttered the words in question.

Rejecting the argument, the judge said that However, the aforesaid argument does not hold any the testimony of the complainant was clear, cogent, reliable, trustworthy and she had not deviated from her statement under Section 164 of Cr.P.C.

The Court said that the word “haram” insults the modesty of a woman, as it denotes that the said woman is not loyal.

It added that the words “Kitno se karwa ke aai hai” is not a simple insult but it directly hits at the sex of a woman and it also shows that the word is intended to mean that the woman is promiscuous and it casts an aspersion on her character.

“It is bound to insult the modesty of any woman. The words also mean that she is engaged in sexual intercourse with various people. Hence, the court is of the view that the words spoken by the accused are intended to insult the modesty of complainant,” the Court said.