Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has dismissed criminal proceedings against four individuals in connection with a 2015 spa raid, concluding that the material on record did not justify continuing the case against them. However, the court declined to grant similar relief to a fifth आरोपी, allowing the prosecution against him to proceed.
The case arose from a police raid carried out at a spa in Panaji after authorities received inputs about suspected illegal activities. A decoy customer was reportedly sent in before officers entered the premises and conducted the operation.
After reviewing the charge sheet and case records, Justice Ashish Chavan held that there was no clear indication that the four men had any role in trafficking or exploitation. The court observed that their mere presence at the location, without evidence of active involvement, was not sufficient to invoke offences under the applicable laws.
Accordingly, proceedings against these four accused were quashed.
In contrast, the court found that the circumstances involving the fifth accused were materially different. He was allegedly found inside a private cubicle, and certain recoveries and surrounding facts were considered enough to establish a prima facie case, leading the court to refuse his plea for quashing.
The FIR in the matter dates back to May 2015, with the case later committed to a trial court after the filing of the charge sheet.
