In a stern message to those who run brothels and induce girls into sex trade, the Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the pleas of three women challenging eviction from their premises, which were allegedly being used for prostitution.
A vacation Bench comprising justices P C Ghose and Amitava Roy referred to section 18 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, which provides for closure of brothels and eviction of offenders from the premises under certain conditions.
The law provides that a magistrate can order closure of brothel and eviction of offenders from the premises on receipt of information from the police, or otherwise if the place is being "run or used as a brothel by any person or is being used by prostitutes for carrying on their trade".
The apex court rejected the submission of advocate Kamini Jaiswal, appearing for the women, that besides these convicted women, the authorities should have issued the eviction notices to other occupants of the premises. To this, the bench said "if such an interpretation (of section 18) is allowed, then this Act (the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act) will never be enforced. Such an interpretation would be absurd, illogical and unrealistic. We are not entertaining this petition."