Aishwarya Rathore-

Published on: August 23, 2021, at 13:38 IST

The District Court in Maharashtra has acquitted a 30-year-old woman from Bhiwandi, who is accused of trafficking and forcing women into prostitution.

Special Judge (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act) and additional Sessions Judge Kavita Shirbhate stated, “Prosecution has miserably failed to prove all the charges against the woman, who hails from West Bengal.”

Special Public Prosecutor Sanjay More claimed that the Police had registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the woman in July 2014 under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act on a complaint that she was trafficking women and young girls from West Bengal and pushing them into the flesh trade in Bhiwandi in the Thane district.

The Court noted, “If the evidence of prosecution witness is considered, witnesses have stated that the present accused had pressured the victim for the purpose of prostitution and was taking money. However, the prosecution has not examined both the victim girls to corroborate the evidence of witnesses. Therefore, the Court held that the evidence of witnesses is not helpful to prove the ingredients of Sections 3, 4 and 6 of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act.”

The Order stated, “The prosecution also failed to prove that the accused had abetted to the use of minor victim girl as a prostitute by committing sexual harassment against her and forcing the victim for illicit sexual relations with unknown customers.”

Hence, the Court acquitted the woman stating that the prosecution had miserably failed to prove the charges levelled against her beyond all reasonable doubts.

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