Nagpur: In a ruling underscoring importance of contemporaneous evidence in sexual harassment cases, Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court quashed criminal proceedings against the president of a private school in Maharashtra, holding that a six-day delay in lodging the FIR and the complainant’s own email trail failed to support the allegations levelled against him.Justice Vrushali Joshi allowed the criminal application filed by a Mumbai-based scientist, who runs the school in Buldhana’s Khamgaon town for quashing of the FIR, chargesheet and subsequent criminal proceedings registered against him at Shivajinagar police station in Khamgaon.The case stemmed from a complaint lodged on July 31, 2025, by a 27-year-old teacher working at the school. The complainant alleged the petitioner, who was president of the institution, attempted to establish “close intimacy” with her over two months and on July 26, 2025, allegedly touched her inappropriately, abused her and threatened to ruin her career after she resisted his advances.The 52-year-old resident of Mumbai’s Cumballa Hill denied the allegations and argued the complaint was filed only after the school administration reprimanded the teacher over discipline and teaching methods. His counsel Raheel Mirza submitted that emails exchanged between the complainant and the school’s vice-principal after the alleged incident contained no reference to sexual harassment or misconduct.The court noted although alleged incident occurred on July 26, 2025, FIR was lodged 6 days later. Complainant attributed the delay to medical advice following a cat bite, but the court observed that she had continued attending school during that period.Justice Joshi also took note of emails exchanged between July 26 and July 31, 2025 observing the complainant had referred only to being reprimanded in a “loud voice” and had sought permission to resume duties. “Per the emails, she has not mentioned anything about the incident,” the court said.The judgment recorded that on July 30, 2025, the complainant’s brother allegedly entered the school premises and created a scene, following which the complaint was lodged the next day. The court ultimately held that, in the context of the delayed FIR, the email exchanges and surrounding circumstances, no prima facie case was made out against the applicant.
