Modesty of women- Modesty of women definition criminal law

Modesty of women- Modesty of women definition criminal law

The essence of a woman’s modesty is her sex and from her very birth, she possesses the modesty which is the attribute of her sex.

Webster’s Third New International Dictionary of the English Language defines modesty as “freedom from coarseness, indelicacy or indecency; a regard for propriety in dress, speech or conduct”.

Modesty is defined as the quality of being modest; and in relation to women, “womanly propriety of behaviour; scrupulous chastity of thought, speech and conduct.” It is the reserve or sense of shame proceeding from instinctive aversion to impure or coarse suggestions

Modesty in this Section is an attribute associated with female human beings as a class. It is a virtue which attaches to a female owing to her sex.

The Shorter Oxford Dictionary (Third Edn.) defines the word ‘modesty’ in relation to women as follows:

“Decorous in manner and conduct; not forward or lower; Shame-fast; Scrupulously chast.”

Case reference : [Abhyanand Mishra vs. State of Bihar (1961) 2 Cr. LJ 822, AIR 1961 SC 1698]