Charged with molestation, man denied bail under new IPC Section

A government employee who allegedly molested a 20-year-old woman in a DTC bus last month has been denied bail by a city court after molestation was recently made a non-bailable offence by a the presidential ordinance amending provisions of the criminal law on sexual offences.

Devi Dayal Gupta has been charged under the new Section 354A of IPC — it deals with sexual harassment, physical contact, advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures, or any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct of sexual nature.

The offence was bailable earlier, but made non-bailable by the ordinance following the widespread protests after the December 16 gangrape case.

Metropolitan Magistrate Ekta Gauba denied the bail pleas saying, "In view of the fact that the allegations against the accused are grave and of serious nature, I find no merit in the bail application. The same stands dismissed."

The woman had alleged that she on on DTC bus (No. 970), which starts from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and terminates at Rohini, Northwest Delhi. She said Gupta boarded the bus at Parliament Street and stood next to her.

In her complaint, the woman said Gupta, who seemed to be her father's age, touched her indecently and did not stop even when she objected.

Police said the woman raised the alarm near Karampura when she noticed that Gupta was "unfastening the zip of his trousers".

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