Bengaluru: The High Court of Karnataka has ordered that no case should be filed against the customers during raids on prostitution dens as there is no scope in the law to register a case against a client who visits sex workers.
The police had raided a prostitution den in a hotel in the city and arrested the clients and registered an FIR on them under The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act of 1956 and IPC section 370. The single judge bench headed by justice K N Paneendra, hearing the case said that there is no provision in the law to register any case against the customers who visit the prostitutes.
In addition, the court has ordered to cancel the case registered against the customers. It also said that IPC section 370 (accusation of physical and sexual exploitation) will be applied to the applicants of the case. There is no accusation on them in the FIR under any sections of the IPC and these sections are not applicable to the clients.
The court has asked to cancel the case against the applicants.
