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Index to the Judgment Factual Background................................................................................... 3 Arguments Addressed Before This Court ............................................... 4 Law on Framing of Charge And Discharge ............................................ 5 Law of Section 509 of Indian Penal Code ................................................ 9 I. Section 509 of IPC ............................................................................. 9 Ii. Essential Ingredients of Section 509 of IPC .................................... 10 iii. Difference Between Section 354 And Section 509 of IPC .............. 11 iv. Judicial Precedents Apropos „Outraging The Modesty of A Woman‟ .................................................................................................. 12 The Test of Outraging Modesty of A Women ....................................... 16 i. Defining „Modesty‟ ......................................................................... 16 ii. Defining „Outrage‟ ........................................................................... 18 iii. Defining Outraging Modesty of A Women ..................................... 18 iv. Defining Intention In Context of Section 509 IPC .......................... 20 Analysis And Findings ............................................................................. 22 i. The Material on Record ................................................................... 22 ii. Sufficiency of Material To Attract Criminality Under Section 509 of IPC ...................................................................................................... 24 The Role of Courts While Dealing With Gender-Specific Laws:

LAW OF SECTION 509 OF INDIAN PENAL CODE i. Section 509 of IPC

16. Since the charge in the present case has been framed under Section 509 of IPC, it shall be imperative to refer to the same, which reads as under:

"...509. Word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman.--Whoever, intending to insult the modesty of any woman, utters any word, makes any sound or gesture, or exhibits any object, intending that such word or sound shall be heard, or that such gesture or object shall be seen, by such woman, or intrudes upon the privacy of such woman, shall be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to one year, or with fine, or with both..."

iii. Difference between Section 354 and Section 509 of IPC

19. While discussing the jurisprudence of outraging the modesty of a woman, the discussion cannot be complete without discussing the difference between Section 354 IPC and Section 509 IPC.

Section 354 IPC and Section 509 IPC both use the word „Outraging the modesty of a woman‟ though by different means.

27. In Abhijeet J.K. v. State of Kerala 2020 SCC OnLine Ker 703, the Hon‟ble High Court of Kerala had observed that merely insulting a woman is different from outraging her modesty. The relevant portion of the judgment reads as under:

"10. There is distinction between an act of merely insulting a woman and an act of insulting the modesty of a woman. In order to attract Section 509 I.P.C, merely insulting a woman is not sufficient. Insult to the modesty of a woman is an essential ingredient of an offence punishable under Section 509 I.P.C. The crux of the offence is the intention to insult the modesty of a woman."