Coming across the case of a minor girl who was sold to a woman running a brothel here for prostitution, a court here has given the Delhi Police seven days to close down the brothel.
Additional Sessions Judge Kaveri Baweja, who presides over the fast track court for trying cases of sexual offences against women, passed the order while handing down a 10-year jail term to two women who had paid Rs.30,000 for the girl and forced her into prostitution at their brothel in G.B. Road.
“I deem it appropriate to exercise my powers under Section 18 of the Immoral Trafficking (Prevention) Act (Magistrate’s power to order closure of brothel and eviction of offenders) and direct closure of the said brothel,” the court said.
“SHO of Kamla Market police station shall evict the occupiers of the said brothel within seven days,” the ASJ ordered.
It also directed the two convicts, Sheetal and Rekha, to pay Rs.35,000 each to be paid to the victim as compensation.
The Delhi Legal Services Authority was also directed to recommend suitable compensation to the victim.
The girl was rescued from the brothel on February 28, 2012, by the staff of NGO Shakti Vahini and the police. A raiding party reached the brothel where the victim came forward and recorded her statement. She said she is a native of West Bengal where her father works as a contractor for building bus stands.
The girl said she had studied up to Class IX. She developed friendship with a boy, Raju, who made a false promise of marriage.
Raju introduced her to a woman who brought her to Delhi and made her stay at Majnu Ka Tila for a week. Raju had promised to join her in Delhi in three days but never turned up. The woman then took her to G.B. Road and sold her off to Sheetal for Rs.30,000. The girl said she was beaten up by Sheetal and Rekha to establish physical relations with customers.
