Woman tells daughter 'Papa aa gaye'; man's 'Kaun se papa?' remark lands him in court

A Delhi court convicted a man for asking a woman which father she meant while referring to her child. The court held that the remark was a deliberate sexual insinuation that insulted her dignity.The defence had argued that the absence of an independent public witness weakened the prosecution’s case. (Representative Image)New Delhi,Sep 30, 2026 19:12 ISTA Delhi court has convicted a man under IPC Section 509 for insulting a woman’s modesty after he asked her, “Kaun se wale papa?” when she told her three-year-old daughter, “Dekho papa aa gaye.”Judicial Magistrate Moksha Bains held that the remark was not an innocent question in the circumstances in which it was made. The court said it carried a sexually derogatory insinuation about the woman’s fidelity and the paternity of her child.According to the prosecution, the incident took place on March 23, 2021, when Priyanka Gupta was walking through a street outside her house with her three-year-old daughter.Gupta was taking the child to her father when the girl began crying. She tried to calm her by saying, “Dekho papa aa gaye, do not cry.” Girdhari Lal, who used to iron clothes in the locality and was sitting at a street corner, responded, “Kaun se wale papa?”Gupta ignored the remark and later informed her father-in-law, who then contacted the police.COURT EXAMINES CONTEXT OF REMARK The court said the meaning of the words had to be assessed not merely from their literal meaning but from the circumstances in which they were spoken.During proceedings, Lal admitted in his statement under Section 313 of the Code of Criminal Procedure that he had made the remark. However, he maintained that he had not said it with any ill intention.The court said his admission, read with Gupta’s testimony, provided additional assurance that the remark had been made.It held that the intention behind the statement could be inferred from its nature and the circumstances surrounding it. The court said the remark suggested that there could be more than one man who could be described as the child’s father.“Such an imputation goes beyond mere discourtesy or a casual taunt and is capable of affronting the dignity and sense of decency of a woman,” the court said.The judge added, “No surrounding circumstance has been brought on record from which the remark could reasonably acquire an innocent meaning.”COURT REJECTS INDEPENDENT WITNESS ARGUMENTThe defence had argued that the absence of an independent public witness weakened the prosecution’s case.The court rejected the argument, observing that Gupta was a direct witness to the remark and that her testimony remained unshaken during the proceedings.The court also noted that Lal’s own admission that he had uttered the words supported the prosecution’s account.MAN CONVICTED UNDER IPC SECTION 509The court concluded that the prosecution had proved beyond reasonable doubt that Lal made the remark intending it to be heard by Gupta and with the intention of insulting her modesty.Judicial Magistrate Moksha Bains accordingly convicted Lal under Section 509 of the Indian Penal Code, which deals with words, gestures or acts intended to insult the modesty of a woman.Lal is yet to be sentenced. The court directed that he be heard separately on the quantum of sentence.- EndsWith PTI inputs