Mumbai man gets 1-year jail for kissing, inappropriately touching bank employee

A magistrate court in Mumbai has sentenced a 54-year-old man to one year of rigorous imprisonment for outraging the modesty of a bank employee who had visited his residence for an official address verification in 2020. The incident took place in Borivali and the sentence was passed by a local magistrate's court earlier this week.

The man, identified as Narendra Raghunath Sagvekar, was found guilty of outraging the modesty of a female bank officer who had gone to his residence for address verification on November 27, 2020. The officer, a Deputy Manager with RBL Bank’s Malad (West) branch, had visited his home as part of a routine procedure after Sagvekar had applied to open a new account.

According to the complaint, during the visit, Sagvekar suddenly grabbed the woman, kissed her on the cheek and neck, and touched her inappropriately despite her efforts to resist.

She managed to push him away and rushed back to the bank. She then reported the matter to her manager and colleagues, following which a police complaint was filed the same day.

Sagvekar denied the charges, claiming he had been falsely accused. His lawyer argued that there were inconsistencies in the woman’s statements and no independent witnesses to support her claim.

Despite the defence, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate BN Chikne said the woman’s account was consistent and reliable. "There is no reason to discard the oral testimony of the informant," the court said. The judge added that it was natural for a person to panic after experiencing such an incident.

Rejecting Sagvekar’s plea for a lighter sentence, the court said the offence was serious and involved moral wrongdoing. "Such acts cannot be taken lightly," the magistrate noted.

Sagvekar was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1,000. The court emphasised that the punishment was necessary to send a strong message against such behaviour.

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