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Srinagar, May 17: The Jammu and Kashmir government is contemplating to bring in a legislation by which a person convicted in a sex racket case will be sentenced to life imprisonment.

This was stated by Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig in a news conference here today.

He said under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA), a person convicted in the case was awarded 1-3 years of imprisonment.

If the same person is convicted for the second time, he was sentenced for 2-5 years of imprisonment, Mr Baig added.

''Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad and I am of the opinion that a legislation should be brought by which a person convicted in a sex scandal case is awarded the life imprisonment,'' he said.

The Deputy Chief Minister also clarified that no law permitted prostitution in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said the Jammu and Kashmir Public Prostitution Rules of 1921, which was enacted during Maharaja's time and permitted prostitution, had been repealed by the state government under section 25 of PITA, enacted in 1963.

''There is no law in Jammu and Kashmir which permits prostitution,'' Mr Baig added.

The Deputy Chief Minister said there is an International Convenant known as ''Convention for Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others, 1949'' which is implemented in Jammu and Kashmir.

UNI

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