Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Justice A.K. Patnaik of the Supreme Court:
“When you say it is the world’s oldest profession and when you are not able to curb it by laws, why don’t you legalise it? You can then monitor the trade, rehabilitate and provide of medical aid to those involved in the trade.
“They (sex trade) have been operating in one way or the other and nowhere in the world have they been able to curb it by legislation. In some cases, they are carried out in a sophisticated manner. So why don’t you legalise it?”
Question: Should prostitution be legalised? Will it help the needy? Or will it go against “Indian values”?
churumuri 
The honourable justices have thankfully shown a lot of maturity and wisdom with these points…it is high time prostitution was legalised. That will allow it to become another business activity. The only losers? Politicians, Rowdies, policemen and other sundry government officials who will lose their monopoly on the mamool….cheers
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Everybody in the political spectrum (left, right and centre) knows that legalizing prostitution is the only realistic option.
Each party in the political spectrum is waiting to take a polarizing position on the issue. In other words, legalizing prostitution is NOT about rights of CSWs or underworld connections in the trade. It is about how political parties can leverage it as electoral issue.
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Even Muraji desai then cm of Bombay had suggested the same.
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It certainly will help! Legalizing it will benefit the workers in a lot of ways. They will have the law on their side to protect them from the abuses they undergo and seek support when things go wrong. I don’t think it can ever be curbed and I agree with the SC’s statement. It could also mean an end to (or at least fewer cases) child prostitution and forced prostitution, with the law in place to overlook matters.
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Nope. Legalization will increase the taxes on prostitutes and pimps. Let it be as it is. This is more convenient.
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Yes. though the logic ‘if you can’t curtail it….’ doesn’t hold good! that means Pakistan has to legalize terrorism!
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Its high time it is legalized.. good for both the service provider and the sex starved Indian consumer.
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Yes. It should be legalized.
However, it is a question of vote-bank politics for all political parties. So, I’m sure this will not be done in the near future.
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I think it’s only fair to legalise something that has been prevalent for centuries. Do men not constitute the ‘Indian values’? However through many many years they are the ones who visit a prostitute/brothel, then whats with ‘values’ being questioned? The fact that brothels and prostitutes exist and the business thrives is a clear indicator towards making it legal – and thereby providing those women a respectable, medically safe disease free life.
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@Anuja
“Do men not constitute the ‘Indian values’? ”
I was watching a movie called Hadh kardi Aapne today and a particular scene says all about the hypocritical indian men. The hero (Govinda) is in a pub drinking beer and dancing with girls in very crude manner. Now, the heroine takes a shot or two of tequila and dances with men. What happens next is not even funny. Govinda is angry and slaps Rani Mukherjee ..apparently for not honoring the “Indian values, culture, and ethics” …despite being a woman !!
Unfortunately most men in India are as hypocritical as Govinda’s character… So, at least in India, it is the woman who has to “uphold” the culture, values, and ethics !!
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I can see a big market beyond the existing kamatipura type cages.
Full government departments with thousands of babus can be setup to regulate and harass the business. A whole new tourism industry can be built around it. The ad industry will get more work than they can handle. IT industry can use the services of this new industry to please their foreign clients better. Horny men who indulge in rowdy and criminal behavior will have something to pass their time.
The possibilities are endless. After all sex is the greatest drive for man after the need to eat and drink.
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@ Anonymous Guy – Agree with you on IT guys part.
Today in America, our own IT guys get lap dances of crushing their enhnanced spermatoid tubules which then twitches their nerves at brain and getting exhausted. They cannot leak it neither put it into mouth.
@Sandesh – Sadly men can only donate sperms. They can’t culture it. Although test tubes have come, it still requires care for a infant. Hence rationally and emotionally , inevitably only they can hold culture.
@Anand Bala – Left Right and Centre for political points can only agree. When it comes to their own mothers it all goes a different way. Since 50% don’t vote there is a kind of rivalry between political class and the middle class. Now it has taken ugly form one battling the other out by creating alien atmospheres.
To see a prostitute with kindness is one ; to help is another.
To legalize, use and misuse and enhance is totally unwelcome.
1. It would provoke college students to atleast try once.
2. Ragging may be substituted for this. The first question when ragged would be to ask. Did you visit a brothel . Demonstrate it now. Did you see your mother in her…..
More suicides. More progressive IT guys terming it as lack of assertion and not learning the way to live!!!!
3. Kannada writers may start a Soole series. Another TP Kailasam- To catch the plight of Beedi Soole again they may go into that legal way.
4. Married men – Come on how can they stop. As soon as they see oppurtunity they break shackles.
5. Since Shah Rukh wants to be porn star whole atleast a crore of film fraternity will indulge. Those pornish movies with big big thingy ; since SRK has already paraded his wife with mini skirts. It wouldn’t be too far to remove that also for a threesome with Salman!!
6. What will temple preists do now? With people visiting brothels and coming for yajna havana they will surely be tempted for many dakshines.
7. Proteinacious girls with great figures will be most sought after. Cities like Mumbai Kolkata and Chennai will becomes centres of prostitutions.
8. Delhi. Oh people will rape wherver they see a girl. Ofcourse no relations will matter for them. Police will surely help them
But I still can see weak man getting weaker ; the fitter women of India will be taken to serve abroad. In a country of crores of foodless, jobless, illiterate, foolish people we have Judges discussing about prostitution!!
This shows that capitalism can never share wealth without demeaning the life of the other.
Well it’s a difficult decision to make for the whole country. I would suggest to break the judiciary first since they are quite useless from kaveri to godavari .
Telangana is a good start. This country needs a strong dismantling out of petty leaders. Just two consecutive terms and already in between Congress already into gays and prostitution.
How much they had withheld all these. Now we can see Congress people with wine bottles celebrating in each other’s arms .
It’s time for vision of vaishnavas – Vishnu who shares his wife- to get destroyed.
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To quote George Carlin,
“If selling is legal and f&^*%@g is legal, why is selling f&^*%@g illegal”
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Please legalize prostitution so that we can put guys like ‘X’ Guy in cages.
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It is better to legalise one of the oldest profession. It can be regulated and taxed. Even in old days, courtesans had royal and social recognition. There are umpteen number of examples for this fact. One of the best known courtesans was Vasanthasene, around whom a classic play has been written.
By legalising prostitution, the government can in the coming days, accord it the status of the industry as well which would streamline it like it has been done many countries across the world. At the same time, those engaged in this industry should have legal assistance in the issues related to them. It would also be instrumental in preventing AIDS and other STDs. Effecting anti-AIDS programmes can be implemented. This revolutionary move would help hapless harassed victims as well.
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on second though, will be become another Bangkok
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@Vishnu
To quote Jeffrey Lebowski “What in God’s holy name are you blathering about?”
@kavitha,
superb :)
@nilesh,
the possibilities are endless. This will definitely enhance our conuntry’s growth rate.
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Had heard grandma tell stories of how narakAsura, rAvaNa used to encourage gambling,prostitution etc etc to run their show.. Now i see who our govt is following..
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Obviously.. It is not rocket science.. they exist bcoz of the society.. so lets not be hypocrites which we indians r great at..
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Prostitution should be legalized. It existed before and will exist long after we are gone, why not regulate it? It is only harmful when it isn’t regulated.
While we are at it, we should also ask for legalization of Porn in India. If depiction of Violence is acceptable, why should depiction of sex be banned? Which is more harmful?
Kavitha:
Nice quote.
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Prostitutes have a caring and sharing nature.
They believe in sharing their body with others.
This is said in absolute seriousness – and not a sniggering aside.
Those who say that this kind of sharing is subject to a caveat called money, i want to ask, will any girl marry a jobless and penniless guy?
Even a ‘decent’ girl will marry a ‘decent’ man, subject to the caveat of money.
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One of the greatest virtues of odd looking leaders of capitalism is the way they turn the course of relations to their own perversion.
How unanimous are people sitting at corners of the world to legalize prostitution!!
Some more points
9. Indian Fathers known for killing and raping daughters ,will celebrate now on girl child ultimately pimping them.
10. Ultimately wherever any work has to be done the legal thing will be sought after .
@kavitha – Do you know how many girls will be thrown into the business if they are uneducated . Do you know what’s the status of girls at bar and those who work as part times in 900 film producing Indian film industry which is next to prostitution centres.
Can you imagine your father selling you for money . You cannot goto police -they are corrupt , court – oh forget them. You are helpless. Please imagine and then write.
People who visit brothel and come to work or home will ultimately view everyone as prostitute.
@mankuTimma : Thank God. Atleast there is one who thinks about middle and lower class in this forum.
@Simple: “Even a ‘decent’ girl will marry a ‘decent’ man, subject to the caveat of money.”
Correct. We have succumbed to capitalism and just following it. Just copying the west delayed by half a century. Girls -the weakest have to follow it inevitably.
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This will never happen in India because of political compulsions. Might have happened if all of them belonged to one single caste/religion depending on who was in power.
@Simple:
There is neither virtue nor vice in prostitution. They do it because, they don’t want to starve to death. Women marry men with money because they are biologically tuned to choose men who who can protect them(and money rules, as of now). And, it is not just men who get pleasure during sex.
But, I only pity the people who go to prostitutes. Are they so despo to risk disease?
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To Vishnu the Pimp,
In fact Dubai has girls of different nations doing exactly this, and sending money back home to support their families. I believe, even India, in the metros, this is a fad, with all the russian and east european girls coming on tourist visa and making quick bucks for six months and going back. You can see classified ads for this in HT, Delhi edition.
Chinese are doing it big time in US as also Koreans and Thais. Thailand earns enormous forex from this one activity, the client are mostly weatlhy japanese business men. Thailand should in fact be renamed Thigh land and the capital to Bang-cock.
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@kavitha
you didn’t quite answer my question. But do we have to copy Dubai and US everytime.
Deep down you are speaking slave language. Just take out the system of perverted a#$ho#es ; there are many who can just change the tide in a whisker. They are just latent.
I am talking about people who don’t give a damn to government and it’s bodies, never use the facilities but live on their own. They have their own lives and systems. Majority is in this condition.
The popular illusion which you are talking are the minority which relates itself to concept of nation and looks for people saying in government; looks for reservations and are called majority by press which is outwardly again west for their living.
@Complex
Going to brothel is not a big achievement. A man/woman who cannot enjoy/realize with a companion can never enjoy with even hundreds and it spreads on for a search and hunt for nothing. It’s a inner psychological science for a man or a woman to understand it’s opposite.
This is the worst face of capitalism. When the wives of all capitalists are mandatorily put in the market to be r#p$d and f&c$ed probably the demand would be less.
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Complex:
>But, I only pity the people who go to prostitutes. Are they so despo to risk disease?
Good question. In fact, it is unfathomable why someone would do it at all. But, then people do things knowing it can harm them – Smoking, drinking, binging etc.
I mean – Why does some diabetics crave for sugar and cheat on their diet. They know it isn’t good for them…
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Vishnu:
Compulsions are the reason why people work even when they don’t like the work. Can you think of a reason why someone would clean the sewage or drainage containing your refuse?
“Yellaru maduvudu hottegagi”.
And to your generalization of “Indian Fathers known for killing and raping daughters” – Given a large enough set of people like in a country, you’ll find all sorts of sub-sets of people in every country. Just as criminal acts are to be dealt with law, non-criminal activity shouldn’t be restricted by law.
Homo-sexuality was considered a criminal act till recently. It is between two individuals, and is rightly ruled to be a non-criminal act by the courts now. Similarly, courts will sooner or later rule in favor of Prostitution – because it isn’t a crime against anyone.
You can’t criminalize prostitution, which is taking care of something you consider dirty. If you do then you should also demand that working for sewage board be declared illegal. They have to take care of something dirty as well.
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Oh, How about doctors who have to put their hands into unmentionable places to relieve people of their misery? Is it illegal too??
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Prostitutes love their work as much as a doctor loves her work. A prostitute said openly on ‘we the people’ programme on NDTV many months back. Prostitutes love their careers as much as you and i love ours. who gave you the right to be disparging agains them?
like our respected prostitues, you and i do our professions because we don’t want to starve to death. So please save your sanctimonious spiel.
If people marry becaue of bilogical needs, Prostitues too cater to a biological need of man. Man is promiscous by nature. and prostitutes help man fulfill this basic need of man.
if prostitution is neither vice nor virtue , so is marriage. People marry for wholesome selfish needs , and not for the good of starving tribal kids in orissa.
And oh, so you pity those who go to prostitutes because the risk death?
Do you pity men who drive on roads because they too risk death by accident?
Anything whichi is done safely is not risky. Including sex. Period.
Even if nectar taken in overdose, is dangerous. have you not heard?
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Poem and Mac Daddy Vishnu!
Instead of all the ifs’ and buts, why don’t we first legalize prostitution and see what happens? Always remember the maxim: ‘Good girls go to heaven; Bad Girls go everywhere.’ QED.
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Vishnu – great pimp,
Looks like you are more of a great impotent wimp.
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by this logic we should be legalising corruption in India…
im appalled at the priorities of these judges…how come we never hear such clarion calls on the issue of corruption??..the single biggest factor holding back our country from progressing at the pace it desperately needs to…
why judiciary even none of the polical party’s ever have this issue as a serious manifesto…
i beleive there is enough money/resources to go around but sadly concentrated in very few pockets..rich country with poor people thing…
i guess congress under Indira institutionalised corruption and there is stands leaving even parties wiht a difference no option but to eventually follow suit …
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The fact is sex tourism is already billion dollar industry in India in latency already. The ordinary vaishnava already knows what is the best way to earn .Of course the richest God itself is blamed for it!! Incredible India.
The vaishnava ideology which is in sync with capitalism, one small addendum to supporters
@Harkol
@Honestly
@AG
and all soaked in money
if it is legalized then first such centres should be set up
1. Around your houses -a.k.a who supports. Infront of female relatives.
2. IT companies.
3. Vidhana Soudha.
4. Temples, churches and mosques.
Can you?
Every day you people have to pass along them . Not only upper classes but even lower classes, white, brown ,black ,thin,thick ,light, dark ones will have to be looked at with equal eye. It’s a democracy you see.
They love their profession. They are professional . You are professional. Creating rules as to what level you can use prostitute, how , training centres. Lot of employment. You can even manage or pimp them.
Never . Dirty Linen again right.
@Harkol
You sure is perfect capitalist democrat even if it’s like eating sh*t. I do understand your dilemma without a partner but I can assure there are much better ways of dealing things if you explore.
I do clean sewage by myself with equipments .Whenever I can’t I hire someone well equipped who knows the job and pay him more. I would rather give a good infrastructure to sewage workers like in western countries where they are covered and disease free and more mechanized rather use it to mangle with the prostitution and manage to obfuscate bad governance.
@Doddi Buddi
I agree your philosophy; but why is it centred on girls. There can be a neutral and human point of viewing also.
What I meant was
1. Legalizing Prostitution will give it an identity. We have done it already by calling Laxmi to be shared by everyone just like a prostitute. Such a legal identity will demean and demoralize women since even after centuries of legalization in west men are not known as prostitutes and never will be known. It’s still true that brahmins call their wives veshya and why not share and use them while teaching same as vedic virtue.
We can only end up with people like (quoting only recent ones)
Shiney Ahuja
Om Puri
Tiger Woods
Nicholas Sarkozy
Silvio Berlusconi
2. If prostitutes are to be truly helped it can only be done with a goal to eliminate the identity.
3. Try involving bright IT people to donate them, help them , educate them, treat them, hospitalize them, rehabilitate them. Most are almost at bench all through the year. Why don’t the capitalist take care of them wearing ties, suits and boots when they use them so much. Why don’t they marry and produce kids? On one hand they marry a homely girl and with money propagated they keep others; on other hand why not form a theory of their success call it a religion and make a pimp as God so that slaves follow them?
But sadly there are hundreds on other ways of beliefs.
As Rama puts it
Then it will be logical enough for pakistan to legalize terrorism.
Adding to it NRN may want
Legalize slavery – he wants more IT coolies.
Mohandas Pai may want
Legalize women slavery – he wants more than 50% women in his company – unmarried virgins would get a reservation. When men will wear ties women will be allowed to flaunt their sexuality since sex is great drive right. More sensual more pay.Simple.
All these should be looked into to be in sync with Kuvempu’s ideology of Poorna Drishti and Sarvodaya .All fields of workers ought to be looked into.
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@ponnaps
Let’s discuss each case on its own merit.. I’m sure judges are concerned about corruption too….apparently the case concerns prostitution.
Also, lets not judge anyone…prostitutes deserve as much respect from us and everyone as much as a software engineer (just to give one example). And no, it has nothing to do with “pimping intellect vs pimping body” notion. Both are professions which must be respected for their contribution to society.
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@sandesh,
I agree its a different case but the similarity is in the fact that both cant be controlled and hence should it be the case for legalising???..is that the merit of the case that the judge needs to be highlighting??
im sure everybody is ‘concerned’ about corruption – including CJ PDD himself – just like everyone is concerned abt prostitution but my grouse is why no clarion calls no roof top shouting(atleast) and no tangible action that leads to prosecution…
ok ..i should stop but a lack of discourse anywhere else made me bring this out here…
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@VGP,
wow.. i never thought reading a comment on a blog could be so exhausting.
If only the judges could legalize prostitution quickly I could go and get myself some R&R at the corner joint ..
BTW what is your solution if somebody’s daughter is a nympho ?
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VGP:
>if it is legalized then first such centres should be set up
>1. Around your houses -a.k.a who supports. Infront of female relatives.
>4. Temples, churches and mosques.
To answer your question – Should a brothel come up in the layout I live (even close to my house) i won’t have any objection to it, as long as they ply their trade within their own premises in a dignified way. That is what legalization of prostitution is about – Dignity for a profession that by no means is harmful.
Heck, I won’t even mind a public toilet coming up right in front of my house, if it is well maintained and non-stinking one!! How is it any of my business if it doesn’t impinge on my life?
Having said that – Your rhetoric is a perfect red herring. There was someone else who even brought my mother into the prostitution equation!! How are these connected?
I oppose prohibition, but I don’t drink neither am I asking my children to go drink. All I am saying is – If there are people who are inclined to do it – they should have the liberty to do it in a regulated way.
Consider a more appropriate analogy to prostitution – Would you ban sugar, because sugar is known to be bad for health with its empty calories and no other nutrients. In dietary terms it is sinful to eat sweets as you can get dietary sugar through other healthy means anyway? Would you ban having a sweet shop in your area?
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VGP:
>You sure is perfect capitalist democrat even if it’s like eating sh*t. I do understand your dilemma without a partner but I can assure there are much better ways of dealing things if you explore.
I am not the issue here. Stick to the issue rather than commenting on my personal status (which by the way isn’t single as you imply). Calling me names or insulting me isn’t going to make a point.
And if you are truly for better equipping Sewage workers, who deal with Human filth, and make their life more dignified – Why not do the same for prostitutes? What is the difference?
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