Student arrested for alleged obscenity has charge sheet and summons quashed
Police arrested a young student at a bridge in Unnao for alleged obscene remarks and filed a charge sheet under the obscenity provision. A court summoned him to face trial. The Allahabad High Court quashed the charge sheet, summons and entire proceedings, holding annoyance to others was never proved.
This page records what the cited court records say happened. Findings belong to the court or authority that made them; this register adds none of its own. Names of private individuals are withheld unless a naming gate clears them.
How we verify →The prosecution stands quashed by the 30 May 2024 order; no trial remains against the student in this case.
What happened
The High Court recorded that patrolling police said an informer told them three persons were doing obscene acts toward passing women, and they caught the student at a bridge and registered the FIR on 17.12.2023.
The High Court recorded that the arrest memo had no independent witnesses though the spot was a busy public bridge, and that no site plan was prepared and no independent witnesses or passing women were examined.
The High Court recorded that the charge sheet was filed within a week on police statements alone, and the trial court issued summons without proper application of mind.
The High Court held the case was a gross misuse of penal law and quashed the summons, the charge sheet and the whole proceedings against the student.
What the record says
“mere performance of obscene or indecent act is not sufficient, but there must be a further proof establish that it was to the annoyance of others, thereby annoyance to others is essential to constitute an offence under this section.”
[name withheld] vs State Of U.P., 2024:AHC-LKO:40954, para 28 — read the full text
No complaining victim
The state arrested and prosecuted speech and behaviour in public as obscenity even though no member of the public complained and no annoyed person was ever examined, leaving the accused as the only person punished.
What we could not confirm
No 2025 or 2026 Uttar Pradesh begging, attempted-suicide or obscenity prosecution with an official source was found; this May 2024 obscenity case was the most recent qualifying record.