Why slavery charges not slapped against Vasisth?: HC
While hearing the bail application filed by Gehana Vasisht in porn racket case, the Bombay high court on Wednesday asked the police why the actor has not been booked under the charges of forced labour and slavery. The court also reserved order on her anticipatory bail application (ABA).
Justice Sandeep Shinde reserved order on the prearrest bail application filed by Vasisth, who is wanted by Mumbai police in the production of porn films. During the hearing, Justice Shinde had asked Mumbai police to clarify why Section 370 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) was not applied in the case. Section 370 reads as, “Buying or disposing of any person as a slave — whoever imports, exports, removes, buys, sells or disposes of any person as a slave, or accepts, receives or detains against his will any person as a slave, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.”
Upon the court’s query, public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde told the court that the police have moved an application for adding Section 370 to the list of offences committed by the accused. The case has been moved before the competent magistrate court, she said.
Advocate Abhishek Yende appearing for Vasisth, however, opposed this saying that Section 370 was for trafficked women. According to advocate Yende, the complainant in the case is not a trafficked woman. Vasisth has a No-Objection Certificate from the woman to shoot the bold scenes,” he added.