The court observed that the expression ‘chhammak challo’ is used to “insult a woman. It is not a word for appreciating… it causes irritation and anger to any woman”
CALLING a woman ‘chhammak challo’ can land one in jail. A Thane court noted that its use amounts to “insulting a woman’s modesty”. A magistrate last week sentenced a Thane resident to simple imprisonment “till the court rises” for using the expression for a woman and imposed a fine of Rs. 1 on him.
According to the woman’s complaint, on January 9, 2009, while returning from a morning walk with her husband, she stumbled on a garbage bin which the accused had kept on the staircase. The accused got furious and shouted at the couple, and, among other things, called the woman “chhammak chhallo”.
The Hindi expression can be roughly described as “a hot sexy girl who is on the flashy side”, according to Samosapedia, a language and culture website. In 2011, it was made popular by a song from a Hindi superhero film Ra.One that saw Shah Rukh Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan in the lead.
As the woman found it offensive, she went to the police, but the cops refused to register a complaint. So she approached the court. Eight years later, magistrate RT Ingale upheld her case, saying that the accused had indeed committed an offence and charged him under section 509 of IPC (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman).
“It is a Hindi word. There is no word for it in English. The said word is to be understood in the Indian society by its use. Generally, this word is used to insult a woman. It is not a word for appreciating… it causes irritation and anger to any woman,” the magistrate said in his order.
Inputs : Social Media