Molester granted bail on condition to wash women's clothes of his village

Patna: A Bihar court has granted bail to a youth accused in a molestation case on the condition that he would wash and iron the clothes of all the women in his village for free for six months to atone for his crime.

Additional district judge–I Avinash Kumar of Jhanjharpur court in Madhubani district, located around 180km northeast of state capital Patna, asked accused Lalan Kumar Safi, 20, to obtain a certificate from the mukhiya (headman) of his village panchayat, sarpanch (head judge of panchayat) or any government official that he has completed the free service, and present it to the court.

"Bail is being granted to him (Lalan) on the condition that he will collect, wash and press clothes of all women of his village for six months. This will help inculcate respect for women in him," the judge said in his order on Tuesday.

The judge also asserted that the youth would have to visit all households in his village to return the washed and ironed clothes. He was also asked to furnish two bail bonds of Rs 10,000 each.

A copy of the order was being sent to the panchayat so that the elected representatives could keep an eye on whether Lalan, a washerman by profession, was abiding by it or not.