Indian couple escape jail for kissing

BEFORE READING

1. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	escaped	a.	doing
2	obscenity	b.	demonstration
3.	affection	c.	abusing
4.	taboo	d.	avoided
5.	expression	e.	top
6.	extremely	f.	love
7.	maximum	g.	started
8.	committing	h.	immorality
9.	sparked	i.	very
10.	insulting	j.	unmentionable

A married Indian couple have escaped punishment for kissing in public. The 28-year-old man and his 23-year-old wife were arrested by Delhi police in June 2013. The police charged them with obscenity in a public place. Public displays of affection are largely taboo in India. The police officers said the couple were “sitting in an off-putting position near a railway station and kissing, which caused passersby to feel bad". However, in court, the judge decided the young couple’s kiss did not break the law and that they did nothing wrong. Judge Muralidhar said "an expression of love by a young married couple" was not illegal. In addition, he said he wondered how anyone could find a simple kiss to be obscene.


It is extremely rare to see couples kissing in public in India. It is acceptable and common for young couples to hold hands in public places. Anything more romantic than this simple act could mean three months in prison. This is the maximum punishment for committing an “obscene act” in India. Many Indians, especially older, more conservative ones, think kissing in public is immoral. The Hollywood superstar Richard Gere sparked a storm of protest in 2007 when he kissed Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty in public. Gere and Shetty were at an AIDS awareness event in Delhi. Gere playfully kissed Shetty on the hand and face. India’s media received thousands of calls and letters asking for the arrest of Gere for insulting Indian culture.

COMPREHENSION

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	A prison official set a couple free after they kissed in public.	T / F
b.	Publicly displaying affection in India is a cultural no-no.	T / F
c.	Police officers said people felt bad because of a couple kissing in public.	T / F
d.	A court judge in India said kissing in public was not against the law.	T / F
e.	It is perfectly acceptable in India for couples to hold hands.	T / F
f.	People can go to prison for three months in India for kissing in public.	T / F
g.	Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty kissed actor Richard Gere on the face.	T / F
h.	Many Indians wanted Richard Gere arrested for kissing in public.	T / F