Delhi high court overturns conviction of Sonu Punjaban, co-accused in prostitution, human trafficking case

NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court on Tuesday allowed the appeals of Geeta Arora, alias Sonu Punjaban, and Sandeep Bedwal in a prostitution and human trafficking case, setting aside their conviction by a trial court. A bench of Justice Chandrashekharan Sudha overturned the 2020 judgment that had sentenced Arora to 24 years’ imprisonment and Bedwal to 20 years in jail, along with fines of Rs 64,000 and Rs 65,000 respectively.

The detailed order is expected to be uploaded later in the day. The duo had challenged the trial court’s verdict before the high court. Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa appeared for Arora, while advocate Akshay Bhandari represented Bedwal. In July 2020, a Delhi court had convicted Arora in connection with a case involving kidnapping, prostitution and human trafficking, while Bedwal was convicted of raping a minor. The court had described the crimes as extremely heinous and had recommended a compensation of Rs 7 lakh for the victim.

According to the prosecution, the victim, who was 12 years old at the time, was lured by Bedwal on the pretext of marriage in 2009 and later sold into a trafficking network. She was allegedly forced into prostitution, drugged, and sold multiple times, including to Arora. The trial court had observed that the victim was subjected to severe physical and mental trauma, including being forcibly administered drugs and threatened to ensure compliance.

It had termed the acts brutal and denied any leniency to the convicts. The case came to light in 2014 when the victim approached Najafgarh police station and recorded her statement after counselling, detailing her ordeal. With the high court now setting aside the conviction, further details will be clear once the full order is made available.(With agency inputs)