The Delhi High Court has ordered the police in the national capital to ensure that all steps are taken to prevent prostitution rings from being run “under the garb of massage parlours”.
A Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad passed the order on November 23, while disposing of a PIL alleging that such rackets have become rampant in the city.
The high court took note of a memo has already been issued by the Delhi Police Headquarters, with directions and instructions to all Deputy Commissioners of Police under Delhi Police’s jurisdiction to keep a vigil on massage parlours and to take appropriate legal actions against them as and when they notice any illegal activities taking place.
As per a Delhi Police status report, between January 2017 and September 2019, the city had 526 massage parlours, of which 405 massage parlours were found to be still functioning. The remaining 121 parlours have either been closed by the owner himself or have been sealed by civic bodies, it added.
The status report further stated that 19 complaints were received against massage parlours, in which allegation of illegal flesh trade were levelled. “Out of these 19 complaints, on eight complaints FIRs under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act have been registered against the owners of massage parlours,” the report said.
It added that the allegations levelled in the remaining 11 complaints could not be substantiated during enquiry.
The report further stated that two FIRs have been lodged against the owners of massage parlours for not getting the police verification of their workers done, despite directions. It said, “61 massage parlours, were found operating with expired/without license and information regarding the same has been sent to concerned Civic Agencies to take appropriate legal action.”
Taking note of the report and submission of the police, the High Court said that it was of “the opinion that the status report discloses that necessary action has been taken by the Police, whenever they have been in receipt of information or complaints with respect to prostitution rackets operating under massage parlours”.
“Considering that the Delhi Police has been taking necessary actions, this Court is of the opinion that no further orders are required to be passed in the present petition in light of the directions already issued by Respondent No. 1 (Delhi Police),” the court said in its order.
The order came on a petition by one Ateet Bansal, who claimed that sex rackets operating under the garb of massage parlours posed a serious threat to the safety and dignity of women. Mr. Bansal said that he had filed the petition to ensure the safety of women, which was threatened by the mushrooming of illegal sex trafficking rings in the city and its surrounding areas.
He had sought for directions to authorities to immediately initiate action to abolish all sex rackets.
