Overview
- Esplanade court in Mumbai, in a decision reported Monday, convicted taxi driver Rockey Fernandes under IPC sections 354 and 354(D) and gave him two years in jail with a Rs 1,000 fine while suspending the term to let him appeal.
- IPC section 354 covers sexual harassment and section 354(D) defines stalking, which the court said applied to the driver’s conduct toward the hotel employee.
- The judge rejected the defence claim that kissing a hand is a hospitality custom and noted the act took place outside any work duty or professional context.
- The case began on November 11, 2023, when the driver refused the fare, grabbed the woman’s hand after a Diwali greeting, and kissed it as she tried to leave the taxi.
- About ten days later he drove her off the usual route, asked for her phone number, and said he liked her, and the court held her detailed statement was enough without CCTV and that seeking her number amounted to stalking.