Nagpur, July 2 -- The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted a 25-year-old man who was earlier convicted for allegedly teasing a minor girl by saying "I love you" back in 2015, overturning the verdict of a lower court.

According to the judgment, the man had been sentenced to three years' imprisonment by a Nagpur sessions court under sections 354-A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 8 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POSCO) Act.

The lower court had viewed his words as stemming from sexual intent. However, the High Court overturned the verdict, observing that merely expressing love verbally does not, in itself, constitute sexual harassment.

Justice Urmila Joshi-P...