Imprisonment to 8 for eve teasing, HC call to embolden women

Chennai, Mar 14 (UNI) The Madras High Court today observed that girl children should be taught to come out of the ''culture of silence'' and develop courage to deal with eve teasers and miscreants who assault them in any form.

Justice S K Krishnan made the observation, while confirming the lower court order, awarding five years imprisonment to eight persons for having caused the death of Sarika Sha, an Ethiraj College student by teasing her and pouncing on her in 1998, when she was travelling in a scooty along with her friends, near the campus.

Holding that the prosecution proved its case beyond any reasonable doubt, the judge said he did not find any error of law in the findings arrived at by the trial court and directed the accused, if they were on bail to surrender and serve the sentence.

Expressing anguish over the incident, the judge said ''for no fault of them and just for the reason their gender, women or girls are being reduced to a state of weaker sex and the time is ripe now to give them confidence and a sense of self defence by defending them.

''The culture of silence is of no use nowadays to girl children and we must develop physical and emotional strength among them with a powerful survival instinct, by igniting the fire of daring themselves and achieve their desire to live and grow, and not allow anybody to the pull life out of them'', the judge said.

The judge further suggested that the government and parents should inculcate in girl children the courage to deal with assaults.

''The society and the government owe a social responsibility of taking all necessary steps to secure the well being of girls and women'', the judge observed.

UNI XR/WS VV RL GC1918