Immoral Traffic: No prostitution charges should be filed against clients

KOCHI: The High Court has clarified that clients visiting immoral places cannot be held guilty under the sections related to prostitution. Justice C. Pradeep Kumar's observation was made in an order quashing further proceedings in the case against Kottayam native P.V. Vishnu, who was named as the fourth accused in the Kadavanthra prostitution case.

The court said that the petitioner was not the one who brought the women to the prostitution centre, and there was no evidence that he incited them to commit immorality. The Kadavanthra police registered a case under various sections of the Immoral Traffic Prevention Act. Section 7, which prohibits immoral activities within 200 meters of public places, is also not applicable in this case. The prosecution argued that there is a Kurishupalli church 50 meters away from the scene of the incident. The court said that such places where religious rituals are not performed cannot be considered public places of worship. The prostitution racket was busted in a police raid last year at a rented house in Gandhi Nagar, Ernakulam.