The Allahabad High Court directs the UP DGP to inquire why Ghaziabad police refused to register an FIR on a woman's sexual harassment complaint against her employer.
The Allahabad High Court has ordered an inquiry against various police officers in Ghaziabad, including the commissioner, for failing to register a First Information Report on a complaint disclosing digital rape, molestation and other offences, Bar & Bench reported. The matter is Arpit Gupta v State of UP and 2 Others.
LiveLaw reported that the court directed the Director General of Police, Uttar Pradesh, to inquire why Ghaziabad Police officials refused to register an FIR on a woman's complaint against her employer. The complaint alleged sexual harassment, molestation, inducement and criminal intimidation. A bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh and Justice Tarun Saxena passed the direction while dismissing a matter that LiveLaw's visible text does not specify.
LiveLaw also reported the court observed that police cannot refuse to register an FIR on a sexual harassment complaint merely because the prosecutrix has not produced WhatsApp chats, call recordings or other material evidence. It further observed that the burden of conducting a lawful investigation cannot be shifted onto the prosecutrix.
Bar & Bench described digital rape as non-consensual penetration of a victim's vagina or other private parts by finger, thumb or toe.
