The Bombay High Court has granted bail to Shankarlal Chetre, a man accused of facilitating prostitution involving women and a minor girl in Pune district, noting that there were no allegations of coercion against him.
Chetre had been in custody since June 16, 2023, following his arrest under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The prosecution alleged that he acted as a middleman, earning commissions by connecting customers with victims at a lodge in Bhimakoregaon village, located along the Pune–Ahmednagar highway.
During the hearing, Additional Public Prosecutor TG Khan and advocate Deepali Bagla — appointed through legal aid to represent the minor — strongly opposed Chetre’s release. They argued that he was part of a larger trafficking network and warned that granting him bail could pose a risk of repeated offences and continued exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
Despite the opposition, the High Court focused on the specific allegations against Chetre. The bench observed:
“The role attributed to the present applicant is that he acted as an agent of the victims. There are no allegations against the applicant of him forcing any of the victims or the minor into the flesh trade. Victims in the present crime are rescued by the police.”
The case began on June 15, 2023, after a tip-off to Shikrapur Police Station, reportedly from a social organization, indicated that a minor girl was being trafficked at the lodge. Acting swiftly, police carried out a raid using a decoy customer and rescued two women and a minor girl. Authorities noted that the raid was conducted without a search warrant due to the urgency of the situation.
While the court acknowledged the seriousness of the offence and ongoing concerns about trafficking, it granted Chetre bail on the basis that he was not accused of directly forcing any individual — including the minor — into prostitution.
