Cases referred :

1. Delhi Administration Vs. Ram Singh, A.I.R. 1962 S.C. 63.

2. Mumtaj alias Behri Vs. State (Govt. of NCT Delhi), 2003 Cri.L.J. 533.

Advocates appeared :

Ms. Anjali Patil, in Appeal-596/2009, for appellants.

Aniket Vagal in Appeal No. 704/2009, for appellants.

Y.M. Nakhwa, A.P.P., for State.

CHAVAN R.C., J.: - These are two appeals which question the conviction of the appellants for offences punishable under section 376 r/w section 109 of the Indian Penal Code (for short, “IPC”) and sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (for short, “PITA”). The appellants in Criminal Appeal No. 596 of 2009 are original accused Nos. 1 to 4 and the appellants in Criminal Appeal No. 704 of 2009 are original accused Nos. 5 and 6. While accused Nos. 4 to 6 have been acquitted of offences punishable under sections 3 and 7 of pita, all the accused persons have been convicted for the other offences. Accused Nos. 1 to 3 have also been convicted for offences punishable under sections 3 and 7 of PITA. They have been sentenced to various terms of imprisonments ranging from three months to seven years with fine on different counts.

2. Facts which are material for deciding these appeals are as under:

On 26-3-2008 PSI Kishore Kharat was called by PI Anil Sardal and told about an information about a brothel being run in Krishna Building in Room No. 20 at Pavwala Chowky. It was also informed that some minor girls were confined. The Officer informed his Superior, that is, Assistant Commissioner of Police, Girgaum and then arranged a trap. In that trap, appellants Jaya Rama Gauda, Mumtaz Dastagir Mulla and Seema Nirmal Roy were found. Three minor girls were also rescued. The girls stated that appellant Jaya Rama Gauda had purchased them. In the course of investigation, the complicity of the other accused persons was also disclosed and they were also arrested. After completion of the investigation, charge-sheet was sent to the Court of learned Metropolitan Magistrate who committed the case to the Court of Sessions.

3. The learned Judge charged the appellants of offences punishable under sections 366-A, 372, 373 and 376 of the IPC and sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of PITA. Since the accused pleaded not guilty, they were put on trial at which the prosecution examined in all seven witnesses in its attempt to bring home the guilt of the appellants. After considering the evidence of the prosecution witnesses in the light of defence of false implication, the learned Judge convicted and sentenced the appellants, as afore-mentioned. He seems to have acquitted them of offences punishable under sections 366-a, 372 and 373 of the ipc, though the judgment does not explicitly so mention. Aggrieved by their conviction and the sentences imposed upon them, the appellants are before this Court.

4. I have heard the learned Counsel for the respective appellants and the learned Additional Public Prosecutor (for short, “APP”) for the State. With their help I have gone through the evidence on record.

5. PW-1 PSI Kishore Kharat and PW-5 PI Anil Sardal are the Officers who conducted the raid. PW-6 Sanatanprasad is a panch at the panchnama drawn vide Exhibit-23 by PI Sardal, who was examined as PW-5. PSI Kharat had lodged a report and registered an offence vide Exhibit-18. PWs-2, 3 and 4 are the victims who were rescued from the brothel. PW-2 stated that she accompanied one Ganesh for getting a job in Mumbai, who kept her at the house of one Dinesh, accused No. 4, and Dinesh seems to have handed over the girl to appellant Jaya Rama Gauda who forced her into prostitution. She stated that she tried to run away but was caught, brought back, beaten up and again forced into prostitution. However, these parts of her statement in examination-in-chief are not to be found in her statement before the police. In her cross-examination she stated that she could not state whether she was 20 years old at the time when the police apprehended her. She had given her age as 19 years when she was examined in the Court on 15-11-2008. The other victim stated that she knew appellants Jalal and Kalu, that is, accused Nos. 5 and 6. She stated that she came to Mumbai with her fathers sister Kasina and then appellant Jaya bought her from appellant Dinesh. She also had a similar story to tell about her being forced into prostitution. In her cross-examination she stated that it was not correct that when the police caught her, her age was not more than 20 years. The only evidence against accused Nos. 5 and 6 comes from the testimony of this witness who states that Jalal was caught by the police and in the Police Station Kalu confessed of taking money to sell her to Dinesh. It may be recalled that she states of having come to Mumbai with her aunt Kasina and states that Dinesh sold her to Jaya. Thus, except for knowing Jalal and Kalu, there is nothing against these two persons. PW-4 is the third victim who states about complicity of appellant Seema Nirmal Roy. According to her, it was Seema Roys husband who brought her to the room of Seema Roy and took away Rs. 35,000/-. She could not disclose as to why this was not disclosed by her in the Police Station. She admitted in her cross-examination that she was more than 20 years when she arrived in Mumbai.

6. PW-7 Dr. Shivaji Dound examined the victims and found two victims to be 15-16 years of age and the third between 17-18 years of age and proved his medical certificates at Exhibits-34, 35 and Article-A, since the third was a carbon copy and not the original.

7. The learned Counsel for appellants Jalal and Kalu states that there is absolutely no evidence against his clients. They had not at all participated in bringing any of the girls to the other appellants or putting them to prostitution and that they have been needlessly dragged in this trial. The learned APP also could not point out the complicity of accused Nos. 5 and 6 in putting the victims to prostitution. Therefore, so far as accused Nos. 5 and 6 are concerned, their conviction is thoroughly unsustainable.

8. The learned Counsel for the other accused persons, that is the appellants in Criminal Appeal No. 596 of 2009, submits, first, that the conviction of the appellants for offence punishable under section 376 r/w section 109 of the IPC recorded by the learned trial Judge is thoroughly unwarranted. She submitted, and rightly in my view, that subjecting the victims to prostitution cannot be equated to commission of rape or abetment to commit rape. There is nothing to show that any incident of sexual intercourse with the victims was either against their will or without their consent. Merely because they were forced into prostitution, it does not follow that the appellants could be held guilty of offence of abetment to commit rape, without the appellants being charged of any specific instances of such rapes. The conviction of the appellants and the sentence of rigorous imprisonment for one year and fine of Rs. 2,000/- imposed upon them on this count is, therefore, unwarranted.

9. The learned Counsel for the appellants next submitted that convictions of the appellants for offences punishable under sections 3 to 7 of PITA are likewise unwarranted. First, because there is nothing to show that any of the appellants was running a brothel. She submits that though three victims tated about their being forced into prostitution, their evidence is unreliable, since they have indulged in improvements over what they have stated to the police. As rightly pointed out by the learned APP, the evidence of the victims is reliable and the learned Judge cannot be faulted for accepting that evidence. The evidence does show that the victims were forced into prostitution and the complicity of appellants Jaya, Dinesh, Seema Roy and Mumtaz is clearly indicated. Jaya, Mumtaz and Seema were present at the time of the raid and the victims had pointed to them as the victims tormentors. There is a specific allegation against appellant Dinesh by the victims that it was Dinesh who sold them to Jaya Gauda.

10. The learned Counsel for the appellants next submitted that all the same, the appellants could not have been charge-sheeted, much less tried or convicted for the offences punishable under the provisions of PITA in view of requirement of section 13 of pita that, a special Police Officer has to deal with offences under the Act in the area. section 15 of pita provides for search without warrant by a special Police Officer. The learned Counsel submitted that the scheme of the Act makes it imperative that investigation should be carried out only by a special Police Officer or by another Officer under the direction of the special Police Officer. She submitted that an investigation carried out violating these provisions would result in the investigation and the trial being vitiated. For this purpose, she placed reliance on a judgment of the Supreme Court in (Delhi Administration Vs. Ram Singh)1, reported in A.I.R. 1962 S.C. 63. In that case, Ram Singh was suspected of having committed an offence under section 8 of the Act and an Inspector, who had not been appointed as a special Police Officer, investigated into the case and submitted charge-sheet to the Magistrate. The Magistrate quashed the charge-sheet holding that special Police Officer alone was competent to investigate into the case. The High Court agreed with the view taken by the Magistrate and dismissed the revision against this order preferred by the State. The matter came up before the Supreme Court upon a certificate granted by the High Court. After referring to the provisions of the Act, the majority of the Bench ruled that special Police Officer and his assistant Police Officers are the only persons competent to investigate offences under the Act, and that Police Officer not appointed as special Police Officer cannot investigate the offences under the Act, though the offences are cognizable. The Court then proceeded to dismiss the appeal by the Delhi Administration. This judgment seems to have been followed recently by the Delhi High Court in (Mumtaj alias Behri Vs. The State (Govt. of NCT Delhi))2, reported in 2003 Cri.L.J. 533. Since in this case it is not shown that PSI Kharat or PI Sardal, PWs-1 and 5, were special Police Officers or were acting under the directions of special Police Officer, their entire investigation and the resultant trial would be without any authority and, therefore, the conviction of the appellants for the offences under PITA would be unsustainable.

11. In view of the above, both the appeals are allowed. The conviction of the appellants for offences punishable under section 376 r/w section 109 of the IPC and sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of PITA and the sentences with fine imposed upon them are set aside. They are acquitted of the offences charged. Appellant/original accused No. 6 Kalu Kamal Shaikh, who is in jail, be set at liberty forthwith, if not wanted in any other case. Bail bonds of the other appellants stand cancelled and the sureties discharged.

Appeal allowed.

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