Just because a girl sends a friend request on Facebook doesn't mean she wants to have sex: HC

New delhi date. 07 February 2021, Sunday

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has said in a judgment that sending a friend request by a young woman on Facebook does not mean that she wants to have a physical relationship. It is never understood that by sending a friend request, the young woman handed over her freedom and rights to the young man.

Justice Anoop Chitkara has remarked that the bail application of the accused has been rejected. The accused youth had argued that the girl had sent a friend request in her real name so he was running on the assumption that she was over 18 years of age and for that he had consensual sexual intercourse with her consent but the High Court rejected this argument.

"It's common nowadays to be on social networking," the High Court said. People join social media sites for entertainment, networking and information, not to spy or to endure physical or mental harassment. Nowadays more and more young people are on social media and are active. It is not uncommon for them to send friend requests. So to assume that children create an account on social media is to do so in search of a sex partner.