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CJI Suryakant Slams Patna HC Order: "Pressing Chest Not Attempted Rape"
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News18•23-09-2026, 13:45
CJI Suryakant Slams Patna HC Order: "Pressing Chest Not Attempted Rape"
- •Supreme Court takes suo motu cognizance of a controversial Patna High Court decision.
- •Patna High Court ruled that attempting to remove a woman's salwar and molesting her does not constitute 'attempted rape'.
- •A special bench comprising CJI Suryakant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana took direct charge of the matter.
- •CJI Suryakant instructed Bihar's Advocate General SD Sanjay to ensure a legal notice is served to the accused.
- •This follows a similar Allahabad High Court decision, which the Supreme Court had previously quashed.
Key Questions Answered
The Patna High Court ruled that attempting to remove a woman's salwar and pressing her chest does not constitute an attempt to rape unless penetration or a clear intent to rape is proven, reducing the offense to outraging modesty under Section 354 of the IPC.
A special bench comprising CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V. Mohana took suo motu cognizance of the matter, criticizing the lack of judicial research and instructing authorities to serve a legal notice to the accused.
The Supreme Court approved an Expert Committee report from the National Judicial Academy containing guidelines on judicial sensitivity, directing all courts and police stations to strictly follow prescribed terminologies and handbooks.
