Leader Online Desk : Sweetie and Baby are popular names for women in some social circles. These names are popular for women in some social sectors. Using these words does not always reveal one's sexual feelings. Saying 'sweetie' or 'baby' does not always constitute a sexual remark, observed the Calcutta High Court in a recent judgement.
A woman who worked as a Coast Guard employee had alleged that her superior at work used the words sweetie and baby while making love to her. She had alleged that the senior sexually harassed her in various ways, including looking inappropriately, peeking into the room.
Saying sweetie or baby is not a sexual comment
The senior official claimed that the words 'sweetie' and 'baby' were never used as sexual abuse. He said he stopped using such words when the complainant told him about his problems. A single bench of the Calcutta High Court, Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, in a judgment delivered on April 24, said, “Sweetie and Baby are popular names for women in certain social circles. These names are popular for women in some social sectors. Using these words does not always reveal one's sexual feelings. The use of such words was considered inappropriate by the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC); But these words need not be associated with sexual feelings.”
'Sweety', 'Baby' not always sexually colored remarks: Calcutta High Court
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The complainant had alleged that her senior officer had sexually harassed her in various ways, including looking inappropriately and peeking into her room. However, the court noted that there were no witnesses to support these allegations. The court dismissed the woman complainant's plea stating that since the complaint was filed after some delay, the ICC could not find any CCTV footage to lend credence to the allegations. It also upheld the ICC's decision to acquit the senior official accused of any wrongdoing.
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