Allahabad HC seeks UP govt's stand on setting up spl courts to try cases of human trafficking

The Allahabad High Court on Monday sought the Uttar Pradesh government’s stand on a plea seeking the establishment of special courts in every district to try cases related to human trafficking allegedly on the rise in the state.

Seeking the government’s response on the plea, a bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Piyush Agrawal slated January 18 for the next hearing of the matter.

The court issued notice to the government on the plea filed by civil society, Gudia, working among the victims of human trafficking for prostitution.

In the public interest lawsuit, the civil society alleged that human trafficking in the state is on the rise but due to a lack of courts to try cases under the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, no adequate steps have been taken to combat the malady.

The counsel for the petitioner argued that even during the Covid lockdown there were rampant cases of human trafficking in the state.

The petitioner also annexed with the petition an elaborate study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes on human trafficking and its impact in different states of the country.

(IMAGE CREDITS: PTI)