Allahabad HC issues summons on plea seeking closure of brothels in Meerut district

The Allahabad High Court has issued summons to SSP, District Magistrate and Chief Medical Officer (CMO) in connection with a plea seeking the closure of brothels in the district. The high court will hear the matter on April 23.

Hearing a plea filed by advocate Sunil Chaudhary, the bench of Justices Sudhir Agrawal and Rajendra Kumar has summoned SSP Nitin Tiwari, DM Anil Dhingra, and CMO Rajkumar after the petitioner submitted that the officials have filed a false affidavit in the matter.

The bench in its order said: "After hearing the petitioner, we find the presence of district administration authorities as well as the Chief Medical Officer concerned, is necessary since serious issues of human trafficking and prostitution are involved in the matter."

In its affidavit, the district administration had submitted that there was no brothel in the proximity of Kaabari Baazar, Meerut, as claimed by the petitioner.

"It is incorrect to suggest that the brothel is still running in the proximity of Kaabari Baazar, Meerut," the affidavit filed in the court in January this year said.

The petitioner cited a report by the CMO which claimed that over 20,000 condoms were distributed among 400 sex workers living in these brothels, which are operational since 2009 in the last three months.

Chaudhary informed the court that seven women died in these brothels, including one due to HIV and one after being shot by a customer. "Six sex workers of these brothels have been tested HIV positive," Chaudhary argued in his petition.

Some unidentified miscreants had threatened to kidnap the petitioner's son if he does not withdraw the petition. He had even requested Prayagraj SSP and DM to give protection to his family. The district administration has yet to take any decision on Chaudhary's application.