'Settled Between Parties': Delhi HC Quashes FIR Against Man Accused Of Staring At Fellow Passenger
Delhi High Court has dismissed a First Information Report (FIR) registered against a man for allegedly causing discomfort to a fellow woman passenger by constantly staring at her. The Court set aside the case after a settlement was reached between the parties involved. The prosecution also does not have any objection to the quashing of the case, Live Law reports.
While hearing the case, Justice Ravinder Dudeja noted that no useful purpose will be served in continuing with the present FIR in view of the aforesaid circumstances and added the fact that both parties have put a quiet to the dispute.
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The case was filed by the complainant, a woman passenger, in May 2024 under Sections 509 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) registered at Indira Gandhi International Airport, along with all the other consequential proceedings emanating therefrom.
The incident happened when the woman passenger was flying from Indore to Delhi. She alleged that the accused, Prashant Pareek, stared at her persistently, causing discomfort. Upon landing, the woman submitted a written complaint to the police.
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However, both parties amicably resolved the dispute and reached a settlement with the help of well-wishers. The accused Pareek then moved the High Court seeking to quash the FIR filed against him, noting that the matter had been settled between the two.
The court allowed Pareek’s petition and ordered the quashing of the case. “In the interest of justice, the petition was allowed, and FIR No. 370/2024, dated 29.05.2024, under Sections 509 of the Indian Penal Code registered at P.S. IGI Airport along with all the other consequential proceeding emanating therefrom is hereby quashed,” Live Law quoted the court.
There have been debates around whether a man can go to jail if he stars at woman. A remark by a Kerala IPS officer and Excise Commissioner Rishi Raj Singh in 2016 had went viral on social media that if a man stares at a woman for 14 seconds, he could be sent to jail. However, he later clarified that it was not the duration of the stare but whether it makes a woman uncomfortable that decides its criminality. There are no specific rule mentioned in the law books regarding the issue, according to multiple reports.
