Court Orders Attempted Rape Accused To Wash, Iron Clothes Of 2,000 Women As Punishment

In a case of attempted rape of a woman in India, a court in Madhubani district, Bihar passed an unusual order according to which the accused has to wash and iron clothes of 2,000 women.

Avinash Kumar, Additional Session Judge-1 of Jhanjharpur, granted bail to the accused Tuesday, and asked him to wash and iron clothes of all the women in the victim’s village, Majhor, without charging money for six months, reported News18. In addition to the unusual punishment, the accused, Lalan Kumar Safi, also has to produce a bail bond of Rs 10,000 ($135.80) with two sureties of the amount.

The 20-year-old washes clothes for a living and since April 19, he was held in the Laukaha police station in Bihar.

Once he is done with the task assigned by the court, Safi will have to get a certificate from the village head or a reputed public official, and produce it in the court. If he is unable to finish the task, the village head has been asked to inform the court about it.

Safi's lawyer, who argued his case saying that his client is just 20 years old and should be pardoned, said that he was willing to do community service related to his profession of washing clothes, as a way of showing his “respect for women."

A compromise has been reached between the informant and the petitioner, and the former did not want to take the matter further. A charge sheet has been filed and cops are done with their investigation, according to India Today.

Nasima Khatoon, the village head, said that the women in the village are all happy with the decision taken by the court, reported Hindustan Times. Khatoon, one of the villagers who will monitor Safi, called it historic, and said that it "will boost respect for women and help to protect dignity." The order made a positive impact by making crime against women a topic of discussion in their community, said women in the village.

This is not the first time that an unusual order has been passed by Kumar. Last month, he granted bail to an accused who was being held under Bihar’s prohibition laws, with the condition that he would take care of the education of five underprivileged kids for three months and get a certificate regarding it from their parents.