Hyderabad, Dec. 26 -- By Kalpana Kannabiran

The recent public misdemeanour by the Chief Minister of Bihar, Nitish Kumar, against a woman doctor, grabbing her hijab and pulling it off her face in full public view during an official function in the course of his official duties as Chief Minister amounts to an assault on the personal liberty, bodily integrity and dignity of a woman - and is covered by the criminal law protections against outraging modesty of women, and under the common law understanding of moral turpitude, which over decades has been held by courts of all jurisdictions to be sufficient ground for termination from office and from employment and related benefits, as the case may be.

Most importantly it violates the constitut...