HC relief to Punjab man arrested on human trafficking charge

Bengaluru

The High Court of Karnataka has quashed the criminal proceedings against a man from Punjab who was arrested at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru in 2019 on the charge of human trafficking for accompanying two passengers on tourist visas for securing them jobs in Malaysia.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the order while allowing the petition filed by Rajkumar, a resident of Amritsar.

It was alleged in the complaint that the two passengers, who were travelling to Kuala Lumpur in July 2019, when questioned on suspicion had disclosed they were travelling with the petitioner, who had promised to get them jobs in Malaysia. Following the outcome of the questioning, immigration authorities lodged a police complaint alleging human trafficking.

However, on perusing the complaint and the charge sheet, the court found that there was no material of human trafficking under Section 370 of the Indian Penal Code except the statement of the two persons who had paid a few thousand rupees to the petitioner and others.

Noticing that there was no allegation in the complaint about exploitation by the petitioner, the court said allowing further proceedings would be abuse of the process of law as there was no enough material to convict.

Allowing further proceedings would become an abuse of the process of law when there is lack of evidence to proceed further, the court said while quashing the proceeding against the petitioner.