Indian Judge rules couple's kiss not obscene

The New Delhi High Court judge ruled in favor of the married couple after they were charged by the police with obscenity for kissing in public .

The Delhi police arrested the couple, a 28-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife, for kissing near a train station last September. The police then filed criminal charges against the couple and cited them for "sitting in an objectionable position near a metro (railway station) pillar and kissing due to which passersby were feeling bad". If the couple were found guilty, the Indian laws would have sent them both to prison for three months. But thankfully that didn’t happen -- the Delhi High Court Judge S. Muralidhar ruled in favor of the married couple. The judge questioned the police, “how an expression of love by a young married couple could attract an obscenity charge and trigger the coercive process of law?” The judge was dismayed at the police for arresting the couple even after knowing that they were married. The couple’s lawyer agreed. He told BBC that obscenity charges could be filed against the couple only if the public finds it annoying and the act is deemed obscene. But he said neither of this happened and the police still filed charges against the couple. The couple claimed they were not kissing and were just taking pictures of each other with their mobile phones. In India kissing in public and showing too much public affection is still considered a taboo. I asked my Connecticut friend, who is married to an Indian whether she saw similar problems in India, and she said they don’t show public affection mainly as a sign of respect for others.