JUDGMENT :

DIPANKAR DATTA, J.

1. Sexual harassment of insecure women by men, who are in a position of power and might, has assumed menacing proportions in India. Such harassment is not only rampant in public places, viz. roads, parks, gatherings, theatre/cinema halls, departmental stores, transport vehicles, etc., but also in private places, such as the cosy interior of one's home, or chamber/cabin in an office/workshop, or even within the four corners of rooms in hotels/guesthouses, etc. A crosssection of the society perceives such harassment as a disease but more often than not, it is the lust of the high and the mighty that is the real cause therefor. The ravished finds it extremely difficult to get back to normal life; the incident of being sexually harassed by the overpowering class comes to haunt her day after day. This is one side of the coin. On the other side, we have ambitious women who, seeking to move up the ladder of life and to attain a status, allow the high and the mighty to exploit them for obtaining special favours and after sometime, when there is nothing more to be obtained, cry foul and complain of sexual harassment. While it takes years for an honest, dedicated