Akhya Pandey
The Chhattisgarh High Court has said that simply telling someone “I love you” does not amount to sexual harassment if there is no sexual intent behind it. This came while the Court was hearing a case where a man had been accused of making this remark to a 15-year-old girl while she was walking home from school. He was charged under the POCSO Act, along with sections of the IPC and the SC/ST Act. But the High Court found that just one such statement, without anything more, can’t be treated as a criminal act.
Justice Sanjay S. Agrawal, who gave the decision, said there was no sign that the man had any sexual motive. There was no physical contact, no repeated harassment, and no vulgar words. Just one sentence— “I love you”—was not enough to prove that he had any bad intention. The judge also pointed out that the girl’s age wasn’t properly proven during the trial. No birth certificate or school record was submitted to confirm she was a minor, which is necessary under the POCSO law.
The Court also dropped charges under the SC/ST Act, saying the prosecution couldn’t show that the accused even knew the girl belonged to a Scheduled Caste, which is required to prove that part of the offence.
This isn’t the first time a court has said something like this. In the past, the Bombay High Court also ruled that simply saying “I love you” doesn’t amount to sexual harassment unless it comes with inappropriate behaviour or sexual advances. The law is clear: there has to be proof of sexual intent, especially in cases under the POCSO Act 2012.
In the end, the Chhattisgarh High Court said the man couldn’t be punished for what he said, because the law requires more than just words—it requires proof of intent. Without that, the accused was rightly acquitted, and the Court saw no reason to interfere with the trial court’s decision.
Case Name: State of Chhattisgarh v. Rupendra Das Manikpuri
Case Number: ACQA No. 215 of 2022
Citation: 2025 SCC OnLine Chh 3488Case
Bench: Justice Sanjay S. Agrawal
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