Maharashtra Court Acquits Woman Accused to Running Brothel, Flesh Trade

Thane: A court here in Maharashtra has acquitted a 48-year-old woman of charges of running a brothel and forcing women into flesh trade.

Assistant Sessions Judge Shailendra Tambe held that the prosecution miserably failed to prove the charges against the accused, Veena Bharatbhai Soni, under Indian Penal Code Section 370 (buying or disposing of any person as slave) and provisions of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

Additional public prosecutor Rekha Hiwrale told the court that on November 23 last year, the police, acting on a tip-off, sent a decoy customer to a flat in Poonam Sagar area of Mira Road.

When the accused demanded Rs 2,500 for flesh trade from the customer, the police raided the premises. They arrested the accused and rescued another woman from the apartment, the prosecution said.

After hearing both the sides, the judge said the prosecution has not duly proved that the accused was running the brothel at the rented flat.

Also, as per the medical certificate and examination of the rescued woman, no injuries were found on her body and she also informed that she was not ill-treated by the accused, he observed.

"The charges levelled against the accused are not duly proved and the prosecution has miserably failed in its case, hence the accused needs to be set free," the judge said in his order issued on September 26.