A court here has acquitted former human resource (HR) head of a leading retail conglomerate of sexual harassment charges, seven years after the accusations were made by his secretary.
Metropolitan Magistrate Imran R Marchiya on Monday acquitted the accused, Parthasarthi Raut, of offence punishable under IPC section 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), saying that the evidence submitted by the informant was "vague and general in nature".
The court also observed that the informant has not mentioned any specific incident of molestation.
According to prosecution, in 2012, the victim was appointed as the personal secretary of Raut, who was then chief officer of the HR of the Future Group.
In her complaint lodged at Meghwadi Police Station in suburban Jogeshwari, she had alleged that on the pretext of assigning work to her, the accused used to touch her inappropriately.
She also alleged that when she objected to his advances, she was transferred to Kolkata. She requested the accused not to transfer her as her husband and children were in Mumbai.
More From This Section
However, the accused told her that if she was not willing for transfer, she should tender her resignation. He also threatened to drive her out of office by calling the woman guards, she said in the complaint.
The victim said that she even sent a letter to Kishore Biyani, the founder of the company, about the "misbehaviour" of the accused. However, as no action was taken against him, she lodged a complaint with the police in December 2012.
During the trial, Raut's advocate argued that the evidence of the informant was "not consistent and believable".
There is no independent witness to the alleged incident, he had submitted.
In its judgement, the court observed that the victim and the contents of the FIR are "contradictory" on the point of period of the alleged incidents.
The evidence of the informant is also vague and general in nature, he said.