Allahabad HC flags safety of women in gyms, seeks report from Meerut police

Observing the broader implications of the case, Justice Yadav noted in his order, “[I]t is a matter of serious concern that presently male gym trainers are imparting training to female clients without adequate safeguards to ensure their safety and dignity.”

The court also directed the investigating officer of the area police station in Meerut to file a personal affidavit addressing three specific questions: firstly, if the gym operated by Saini was duly registered under the law; secondly, whether Saini had been arrested in connection with the case; thirdly, whether the gym employed women trainers.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Nitin Saini, a gym trainer who also runs a gymnasium in the Meerut district, allegedly abused a woman by using a caste-based slur while she was working out at the facility on April 29, 2024.

The woman also accused him of physically assaulting her and forcing her to leave the premises. In her statement to the police, she also alleged that Saini had “prepared obscene videos” of one of her friends and had been sending them to her for the past six to seven months.

After the woman levelled these allegations, Saini was booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The court noted that these allegations could attract charges under IPC Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace).

The court has scheduled the next hearing in the matter for September 8, 2025.