If 14 seconds isn't allowed, can

men stare at women for 13

seconds? Here's all you need to
know
Kerala Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh
made a statement that men who stare
annoyingly at women for more than 14
seconds can be booked. Social media users
got a topic to troll and the statement got us
thinking about the practicality of such a rule.
 HIGHLIGHTS
1Rishiraj Singh says men who stare at women for more than 14
seconds can be booked.
2Singh's statement is being trolled and questioned on social media.
3Kerala Sports Minister EP Jayarajan said Singh's statement is
annoying.
Kerala Excise Commissioner Rishiraj Singh is synonymous to
controversy. From making controversial statements to going against
the official code of conduct, Singh has managed to stay in news. He
has also earned many loyal supporters who refer to him as the 'Lion
of Kerala'.
Yes, Singham! And now 'Singham returns' by making a new
statement that has not gone down well with many.
Singh, while speaking at an event held in Kochi on Sunday, said, "A
case can be filed against men who 'annoyingly' stare at women for
more than 14 seconds". He also urged women to come forward and
speak up against all physical/sexual harassment they face and
asked them to carry small knives or pepper sprays to defend
themselves in case of molestation bids.

Kerala Sports Minister EP Jayarajan said Singh's statement is

'annoying' and that he will bring this to the notice of the Excise
Minister K Babu.

Mr Singh, you are being trolled

Rishiraj Singh's statement is being trolled big time on social media.
Memes are being made using popular scenes from Malayalam
movies. Here are five of them, and for those who can't read
Malayalam, we have translated it-
Girls tells her friend that a guy is staring at her. Friend responds by
saying he stared at me for 13 seconds and then shifted to you to
avoid trouble.
Text at the end says "You're finished dude, you're finished!"

What does the Indian law say?

Section 354 of the Indian Penal Code states, "Whoever assaults or
uses criminal force to any woman, intending to outrage or knowing it
to be likely that he will thereby outrage her modesty, shall be
punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which
may extend to two years, or with fine, or with both."
Under Section 354D of the Indian Penal Code, stalking is
described as follows -
1) Follows a woman and contacts, or attempts to contact such
woman to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear
indication of disinterest by such woman;
or
2) Monitors the use by a woman of the internet, email or any other
form of electronic communication, commits the offence of stalking.

Although stalking, using expletives, offering work benefits in

exchange of sexual favours, sharing content on social media with an
intent to harass, are all punishable offences under various sections
of IPC, but staring has not been included as of yet.

Is staring an offence anywhere else in the world?

A thread on Roosh V Forum has a user Feldeinsamkeit stating that staring
is "now to be categorized as a form of sexual harassment that is in
and of itself worthy of being reported to the police."
A Quora thread asking "When does staring at a woman become sexual
harassment?" got an answer that states "frequently staring at
someone, particularly in a manner that this person has expressed a
disliking for, could be one element of harassment. But by itself it
really would have a hard time fitting the US Federal definition of Sexual
Harassment."
Singapore Legal Advice website states, "The use of the term
"outrage of modesty" originates from section 354 of the Penal Code
which criminalises the offence of the "assault or use of criminal
force to a person with intent to outrage modesty". The use of
criminal force is a key element. Hence, simply staring at someone
inappropriately would not fall afoul of this section, which has mainly
been applied to molestation cases."

Staring at someone in a disturbing way could be considered wrong

and not acceptable as a social etiquette, but it has not been listed
as illegal anywhere. It could be, however, be a part of sexual
harassment laws or under "outrage of modesty".

Uttar Pradesh came up with a similar rule in 2013

A video report by Aaj Ki Khabar states that through an amendment in
the Section 354D of IPC, harassment of women via social media and
mobile phones were made punishable offences. It also says
that staring has also been listed as a punishable offence
under this section.
We weren't able to confirm this.
In the video, people question the apparent '30 second stare rule'
where men could be booked if they stare at a woman for over 30
seconds. Men are worried they could become soft targets and says
such a law could be misused by women.
How much is too much? What is the logic behind 14-second-
stare-rule?
Being stared at by random people could be quite disturbing,
intimidating and awkward. But how much is too much?
We couldn't come up with a possible explanation of rationale for the
14-second-rule. Social media users have been raising questions like
-
1) Who'd keep a check that a person's stare is not crossing 14
seconds?
2) What happens if you stop staring at the 13th second?
3) Is staring for 13 seconds or lesser legal and acceptable?
4) What if men wear sunglasses and women can't make out they're
being stared at?
5) Will blinking have an effect?