A Maharashtra court has reprimanded a resident of Thane for calling a woman “chhamak challo”, saying it amounts to “outraging her modesty”, NDTV reported on Monday. A magistrate’s court sentenced the man to simple imprisonment till the next hearing in the case. He was also fined Rs 1 and held guilty under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code.
The incident took place in January 2009, when the complainant, a neighbour of the accused, was on her way back from a morning walk with her husband. The woman accidentally knocked over the accused’s dustbin, which was lying on the staircase. Infuriated, the man yelled at the couple and allegedly called her “chhamak challo”, purportedly because he thought she kicked the dustbin on purpose, The Times of India reported.
“This is a Hindi word, there is no word for it in English,” the magistrate said in his order, according to PTI. “Generally, this word is used to insult a woman. It is not a word for appreciating....It causes irritation and anger to any woman.”
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