Customer Of Prostitution Is Not Liable For Prosecution: Andhra Pradesh High Court
The petitioner filed a Criminal Petition under Section 482 CrPC and submitted that based on the information received, the police registered crime against the petitioner and after conducting the investigation, charge sheet was filed. The allegation against the petitioner was that at the time when police raided the brothel house, they found the petitioner there as customer who...
The petitioner filed a Criminal Petition under Section 482 CrPC and submitted that based on the information received, the police registered crime against the petitioner and after conducting the investigation, charge sheet was filed.
The allegation against the petitioner was that at the time when police raided the brothel house, they found the petitioner there as customer who visited for prostitution in payment of money to other accused.
The petitioner submitted that customer of prostitution was not liable for prosecution for any offence. Therefore, he would submit that allowing the proceedings to be continued against the petitioner in the facts and circumstances of the case would amount to abuse of process of Court. Hence, prayed for quash of the said proceedings against the petitioner.
In Sri Roopendra Singh v. State of Karnataka (2021), Z. Lourdiah Naidu v. State of A.P. (2014), Goenka Sajan Kumar v. State of A.P (2014), it became a settled law that those who visited the brothel house for prostitution as mere customers were not liable for prosecution.
The court for this reason allowed the Criminal Petition.
Case Title: Chennuboina Raj Kumar Versus The State of Andhra Pradesh
Citation: 2022 LiveLaw (AP) 75