Bombay High Court: Saying ‘I Love You’ Doesn’t Constitute Sexual Intent, Man Acquitted in Molestation Case

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court has overturned the conviction of a 35-year-old man accused of molesting a 17-year-old girl in 2015, asserting that simply uttering ‘I love you’ does not inherently demonstrate sexual intent. Justice Urmila Joshi-Phalke delivered the ruling, emphasizing that expressing feelings of love does not, by itself, violate a woman’s modesty. The court clarified that sexual acts involve inappropriate physical contact, indecent gestures, remarks, or attempts to disrobe. The man had been found guilty by a sessions court in Nagpur in 2017 and sentenced to three years imprisonment. The incident involved the man approaching the girl, holding her hand, asking her name, and then declaring ‘I love you’ while she was walking home from school. The High Court stated that there was no evidence to suggest the man planned to initiate sexual contact and that the phrase ‘I love you’ alone does not satisfy the legal definition of sexual intent.