To teach a lesson to those who harass a girl, later apologize and enter into a compromise to avoid legal hassle, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has slapped a penalty of Rs 40,000 on three youths for “harassing” a girl.

Justice Rajan Gupta has directed three Ludhiana youths, Jasmanpreet Singh, Jatinder Singh and Sukhjinder Singh to pay a compensation of Rs 30,000 to the girl who was harassed and Rs 10,000 to Punjab State Legal Services Authority within one month.

The directions were passed in the wake of a petition filed by the three accused who were booked by the Punjab Police on charges of harassing a girl. An FIR on charges of inducing a woman to compel her for marriage; mischief and harassment was registered against the trio on the complaint of Karamjit Singh, relative of the girl on September 10.

The trio had coaxed the complainant for a compromise after which they had moved the High Court demanding quashing of the FIR registered against them by the Punjab Police. Contesting the petition, counsel for the Punjab state pointed out that “keeping in view the nature of crime, wherein the three accused had made obscene calls to the sister-in-law of the complainant (Karamjit) and also tried to follow her and harassed her on the road and market, some heavy costs need to be imposed upon them”.

Under the circumstances, counsel for the trio gave an undertaking that the three will pay Rs 30,000 as compensation to the girl and also cost of Rs 10,000 to the Punjab State Legal Service Authority. Accepting the undertaking, Justice Rajan Gupta quashed the FIR but made it clear that the compensation will be paid within a month.

... contd.