Customers visiting brothels can be punished for sexual exploitation: Kerala High Court
On August 11, the Kerala High Court issued an order stating that customers visiting brothels for sexual activities can be held liable under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. The court reasoned that excluding the customer from criminal liability would dilute the legislative aim of combating commercial sexual exploitation.
The High Court observed that a brothel is a commercial establishment that perpetuates exploitation through the demand created by patrons. Consequently, a customer who voluntarily enters a brothel and pays for sexual services is an integral part of the exploitative transaction. The bench concluded that there was no valid reason to exempt such an active participant from the scope of criminal liability under the Act.
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