Chennai: The XVIII Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet sentenced a lab technician to undergo three years of rigorous imprisonment on a charge of sexually harassing a 37-year-old Filipino woman in the hospital lab three years ago. The lab technician told her to undress while taking an X-ray in the lab of a private hospital at MRC Nagar in August 2014.
According to the prosecution, Ginalyn Makawena of Philippines had approached a private hospital in MRC Nagar for taking a chest X-ray on August 14, 2014. The technician E. Karthikeyan, 35, from Vellore, asked the woman to undress and wear a hospital gown. Before taking the chest X-ray he told her to remove her pant and underwear. She removed the clothes thinking that this was a normal procedure in the country.
Later, she suspected something was wrong and lodged a strong protest with the hospital authorities. Other hospital staff had not replied whether such procedure was necessary. Immediately, the woman called her husband, who is working as a chef in a star hotel.
Assistant Public Prosecutor E. Edwig said that, based on her complaint, the All Women Police Station in Mylapore registered a case against Karthikeyan under sections Section 354 (B) of Indian Penal Code, (intention of disrobing or compelling a woman to be naked in any public place) and section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act, 1998 (whoever commits or participates in or abets harassment of women in or within the precincts of any educational institution, temple or other place of worship, bus stop, road, railway station, cinema theatre, park, beach, place of festival, public service vehicle or vessel or any other place shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees).
Two American citizens, a doctor and hospital staff, appeared as prosecution witnesses during the trial. The XVIII Metropolitan Magistrate, Saidapet J. Mohana said that the prosecution proved the case beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced Karthikeyan to undergo three years of RI on a charge of harassing her under section 354 (B) of IPC and three years of RI under section 4 of TNPWH Act. The sentences will run concurrently. The senior judge also slapped him with a fine of Rs 6,000. Since the incident came to light Karthikeyan remained unemployed. Hearing about the sentence, the woman and her husband said they welcomed the verdict.
