India, July 2 -- The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court on Monday acquitted a 27-year-old man accused of sexually harassing a minor girl in 2015, observing that he could not be convicted for merely saying "I love you" to the girl and holding her hand.

The incident dates back to October 2017 in Nagpur when the 17-year-old girl was walking back home from her college. The accused, who was also aged 17, allegedly approached her on a motorcycle, held her hand and said 'I love you'. Based on her complaint, the police registered an FIR against the accused.

A sessions court had convicted the man under Section 354A (sexual harassment) and 354D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code as well as Section 8 (sexual harassment) of the Protection of Childr...