• Karnataka High Court: House owner not responsible if prostitution racket run without his knowledge

    Lifestyle
    Karnataka High Court: House owner not responsible if prostitution racket run without his knowledge

    According to the police, the owner was not living in the house and was staying somewhere else.


    Digital Desk: The Karnataka High Court has ruled that if the house owner is unaware of a prostitution racket in the premises given on rent, he is not liable to be prosecuted under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act.

    On Thursday, a single bench led by Justice M. Nagaprasanna issued a decision dismissing the FIR filed against the house owner Prabhuraj, a resident of Nagarbhavi in Bengaluru.

    Prabhuraj had filed an appeal before the Karnataka High Court to dismiss the FIR filed by the Chandra Layout police.

    The bench noted that legal proceedings could be initiated under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act Sections 3 (2) (B) only if the house owner is aware of the prostitution racket. However, in this case, the owner was unaware of what was going on at his home.

    According to the police, the owner was not living in the house and was staying somewhere else.

    "The police have mentioned it in their charge sheet. In this case, if the house owner is booked, it amounts to harassment and abuse of the law against the petitioner," the bench said.

    Reportedly, in December 2019, the petitioner rented out his house. However, the house was raided by the police in January 2020. They busted a prostitution ring and filed a complaint against the house owner. The house owner had petitioned the court for a stay of all legal proceedings against him.

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