Bombay HC Upholds Brothel Conviction of Grant Road Manager Rani Singh
The Bombay High Court has upheld the conviction of 41-year-old Rani Singh for running a brothel at Krishna Building on Pavwala Street in Grant Road, ruling that the immigration status of a victim cannot be used to dilute an offence or deny her dignity. Dismissing Singh's appeal on October 2, 2026, Justice M.M. Sathaye directed her to surrender within four weeks to serve her sentence.
Singh was originally convicted under Sections 3, 4, 5, and 6 of the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act (PITA) and sentenced to two years of rigorous imprisonment, with the terms ordered to run concurrently. The high court confirmed the concurrent findings of the Magistrate and Sessions Court, cancelled Singh's bail bond and surety, and ordered her to surrender.
The case dates back to February 17, 2011, when Mumbai Police raided rooms in Krishna Building on Pavwala Street following information provided by the NGO Rescue Foundation. A decoy customer was sent into the premises ahead of the raid. Police officers subsequently entered the building and found Singh, whom the prosecution identified as the manager and conductor of the brothel, along with two girls.
According to the prosecution's case, the decoy customer was found with one of the girls, and the Rs 500 paid to her was recovered from Singh's possession. Police also seized packets of condoms and tissue papers from the premises during the search. The two girls told police that they were engaged in prostitution and regularly shared their earnings with Singh.
In her appeal, Singh challenged the conviction on grounds that the prosecution relied heavily on witnesses linked to the NGO and lacked independent witnesses. Her lawyer also questioned the credibility of one of the victims, arguing that she was an illegal Bangladeshi immigrant and could not be considered a reliable witness in court.
Rejecting the defence argument, Justice Sathaye observed that the effort under criminal law is to prosecute and punish the perpetrator, and can never be to shame the victim. The court noted that a victim's immigration status does not diminish the gravity of the crime.
The court also turned down the objection regarding NGO witnesses, stating that it may not be possible to secure independent members of the public during raids on brothels. Holding that the investigating police officer was properly authorised under PITA, the court noted that Singh had been arrested directly from the premises and clearly identified by prosecution witnesses.
