Sexual offences II: identity of the victim, outraging modesty, sexual harassment, disrobing, voyeurism, stalking and insulting modesty (ss. 72-79 BNS)
LUG-106 Substantial Law of Crimes-I (The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 - I), Unit IV: Criminal force and assault against women (ss. 74-79). · LLB · 60 min
The lecture completes the sexual offences with ss. 72-73 (protecting the identity of the victim) and then teaches the six offences of criminal force and assault against women in ss. 74-79 (ss. 354-354D and 509 IPC): outraging modesty and the meaning of modesty (Rupan Deol Bajaj, Major Singh), sexual harassment (Vishaka, A.K. Chopra, the POSH Act), disrobing, voyeurism, stalking and insulting modesty. It begins with the general law of force, criminal force and assault in ss. 128-131 (ss. 349-352 IPC), which the 2024-25 paper asked for, and ends with the dropping of s. 377 IPC after Navtej Singh Johar and what that leaves unpunished.
Objectives
- Distinguish force, criminal force and assault under ss. 128-131 BNS and apply the Sanhita's illustrations.
- Explain what "modesty" means and the ingredients of s. 74 and s. 79 with Rupan Deol Bajaj and Major Singh.
- Explain the four acts of sexual harassment in s. 75 and relate them to Vishaka, A.K. Chopra and the POSH Act, 2013.
- Explain the ingredients, explanations and exceptions of disrobing (s. 76), voyeurism (s. 77) and stalking (s. 78).
- Identify the gender of the offender and the victim in each offence and discuss the omission of s. 377 IPC from the BNS.
Slides
- Sections 72-73: the victim's identity and court proceedings (s. 228A IPC)
- Force, criminal force and assault: ss. 128-131 BNS (ss. 349-352 IPC)
- Assault v criminal force: the comparison the examiner wants
- Section 74: assault or criminal force to outrage modesty (s. 354 IPC)
- Outraging modesty v attempt to rape; s. 79: insulting modesty (s. 509 IPC)
- Section 75: sexual harassment (s. 354A IPC)
- Vishaka, A.K. Chopra and the POSH Act, 2013
- Section 76 disrobing and s. 77 voyeurism (ss. 354B-354C IPC)
- Section 78: stalking (s. 354D IPC)
- Who can be the offender and the victim: gender in ss. 63-79
- Section 377 IPC: Naz Foundation, Koushal, Navtej Singh Johar and the BNS
- How the examiner asks it
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