Supreme Court Stays Allahabad HC’s “Grabbing Breasts Not Rape” Verdict

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed the controversial Allahabad High Court ruling in a child abuse case, which stated that grabbing a minor’s breasts and pulling her pyjama string did not amount to an attempt to rape. The apex court, expressing its dismay over the ruling, called it a display of “total lack of sensitivity.”

A bench comprising Justice BR Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih criticized the judgment by Justice Ram Manohar Narayan Mishra, delivered on March 17, and ordered a stay on paragraphs 21, 24, and 26 of the ruling. The court also sought responses from the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government.

The case came to the Supreme Court’s attention after the women’s organization We the Women of India raised concerns. The victim’s mother also appealed against the high court ruling, which had struck down charges under IPC Section 376 (rape) and Section 18 of the POCSO Act.

The apex court’s intervention comes amid nationwide outrage over the Allahabad High Court’s observations, with legal experts and activists questioning the narrow interpretation of sexual assault laws.