CHENNAI: Just in four months ending April 30 this year, as many as 124 trafficking cases were registered, 244 people arrested and 154 rescued. Ten persons, including 4 women, were detained under the Goondas Act, according to police.
These details were tabled before the first bench of Chief Justice S K Kaul and Justice R Mahadevan, when a PIL from Y Akbar Ahmed came up for hearing on Tuesday. Ahmed had prayed for a directive to the authorities concerned to consider his representation dated April 4, 2015 and take strict action against pimps and others dealing with prostitution in Chennai and those having links with agents operating in other States.
According to the petitioner, soliciting and prostitution was continuing through use of technology. The counter affidavit by police showed that the petitioner’s representation had been considered and an action taken report filed on June 1, 2016. The Bench noted that the petitioner was right in contending that there was no reason to take 14 months for the police to respond and added that the authorities appeared to have moved quickly only after the petition was filed. Now that action was stated to have been taken in addition to deleting the offending pages from the websites, no further direction was needed on the issue, except that the authorities concerned should continue to do their duty in accordance with law, the bench said.