Sex racket: High Court takes suomoto notice

Srinagar, May 2 (UNI) Taking strong notice of reports about the alleged flesh trade in the state, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court has decided to initiate suo moto proceedings into the matter.

A single bench comprising Justice Bashir Ahmad Kirmani said that for a couple of days, ''painful reports regarding inducement and blackmail of teenaged girls to lure and coerce them into immoral physical submission have appeared in the press.'' ''What makes the reports alarming are allegations that some persons placed highly in different social spheres are directly involved therein ex-facie the occurrences reported are so horrifying that even a fraction only thereof would be a complete horror in itself,'' the judge said.

He said pushing innocent girls in to flesh trade was an extremely treacherous act and if constitutionally acknowledged social and moral commitments mean anything, the traders of this treachery have to be brought to account, irrespective of their placement and position.

'' Accordingly, while initiating proceedings suo moto, ''I direct registrar judicial to seek orders in the matter for its appropriate listing under rules preferably during current week,''Justice Kirmani said in the order today.

UNI BAS PM RN1857