Karnataka HC says inappropriate look alone insufficient to attract BNS offence

Bengaluru, Nov 9 (UNI) The Karnataka High Court has quashed criminal proceedings against a 66-year-old man accused of sexual harassment, holding that merely looking at a woman in an inappropriate manner, without a specific allegation of demanding or requesting sexual favours, would not attract the offence under Section 75(1)(ii) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Allowing a criminal petition filed by Hafeez Khasim of Tumakuru, Justice Suraj Govindaraj set aside the chargesheet and consequential proceedings registered against him by the Tumakuru Women Police Station. The case arose from a complaint lodged by a 42-year-old woman on June 4, 2025, alleging…