On Friday, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition filed by the Kerala activist Rehana Fathima challenging a state Superior Court order denying your advance bond in a case against you regarding a video uploaded to social media platforms. The video showed her two youngest children painting her half-naked body.
On July 24, the Kerala HC had dismissed her request paving the way for his arrest in the case. Fathima has been registered under sections 13, 14, and 15 of the POCSO Act, section 67B (d) of the Information Technology (TI) Act, and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act at the police station of Ernakulam Town Police based on a complaint filed by a local BJP leader.
A court of Judge PV Kunhikrishnan had observed that prima facie was of the opinion that the accused used the children for the purpose of sexual gratification since the children are painting on the naked body of their mother.
“The expression of the petitioner, while the children paint on her chest, is also important. Whether that amounts to the use of children for the purpose of sexual gratification can ultimately be decided only after a custodial interrogation of the petitioner, ”the court had said.
“According to the petitioner, she is teaching sex education to her children by uploading this video. As I said earlier, if this painting on the petitioner’s naked body occurred within the four walls of the petitioner’s house, there can be no crime. After seeing the picture painted by the children, I do not hesitate to appreciate the talent of the children. They deserve encouragement. But not in the way the petitioner encouraged them by uploading this video. The petitioner, when she was filmed and uploaded these videos on social networks, also states that she wants to teach sex education to the children of society. I cannot accept this position of the petitioner, ”the judge said in the order, dismissing his request for bail.
Fathima argued in her petition that children should receive sex education so that they can mature and see body parts as a completely different medium rather than just a sexual tool.
In 2018, she made the news after trying to visit the Sabarimala hill sanctuary after the Supreme Court lifted the age barrier for the entry of women. After a fuss over her attempt, she was suspended from her BSNL job on charges of hurting religious sentiment and was also recently fired from her job for the same reason. In 2014, Fathima had participated in the Kiss of Love campaign in Kerala against moral vigilance.
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