Bengaluru: In a major development, the Karnataka High Court has ruled that the house owner can't be prosecuted under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act if he is not aware of a prostitution racket being run in the premises given on rent.
The court gave the verdict on Thursday while quashing the FIR in this regard against the house owner Prabhuraj, a resident of Nagarbhavi in Bengaluru.
Prabhuraj had filed a petition before the High Court seeking to quash the FIR filed by the Chandra Layout Police.
The court noted that under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act Sections 3 (2) (B), the legal proceedings could be initiated only if the house owner is aware of the prostitution racket in any place.
''In this case, the owner was not aware of what was happening at his residence,'' the court added.
"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.
As per reports, the petitioner had given his house on rent in December 2019. Later, in 2020, the police had conducted a raid on the house and busted a prostitution racket, and booked the house owner.
Following this, the owner approached the high court seeking to quash FIR against him.
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