Himachal Pradesh HC refuses bail for rape accused, says some men fail to understand when a girl says ‘no’

Accused had offered victim a lift, took her to secluded spot and raped her

“No means no — the simplest of sentences has become the most difficult for some men to understand,” was the observation made by Himachal Pradesh High Court as it rejected a bail plea of a rape accused on Wednesday. Dismissing the petition, Jusctice Anoop Chitkara in his judgement observed: “No means no — the simplest of sentences has become the most difficult for some men to understand. ‘No’ does not mean ‘yes,’ it does not mean that the girl is shy, it does not mean that the girl is asking a man to convince her, it does not mean that he has to keep pursuing her. The word ‘no’ doesn’t need any further explanation or justification. It ends there, and the man has to stop. Be that as it may, the victim, in this case, said ‘no’ to the accused when he started touching her, but he continued. It nowhere implies consent, or zeal and desire to explore and feel each other in romantic love.”