Mumbai Court Grants Bail To Doctor And 9 Others In Child Trafficking Case For Fake Adoption Saying 'It Doesn't Fall Under Trafficking Laws'

Mumbai Court Grants Bail To Doctor And 9 Others In Child Trafficking Case For Fake Adoption Saying 'It Doesn't Fall Under Trafficking Laws'

Granting bail to Dr. Khandare, sessions judge VM Pathade said the offence prima facie does not fall under the definition of human trafficking as section 370 includes “exploitation”

Charul Shah Joshi | Aishwarya Iyer Updated: Wednesday, July 03, 2024, 11:27 AM IST

Mumbai: Sessions Court Grants Bail To Doctor And 9 Others In Child Trafficking Case, Raises Doubts On Crime Branch's Evidence | Representational Image

In the child trafficking racket for fake adoption, the sessions court, on June 21, granted bail to 10 persons, including a doctor. The court observed that it cannot be said it was “for exploitation of children”. 

On April 28, the Mumbai crime branch unit 2 had busted the racket and arrested seven persons, and the accused doctor, Dr Sanjay Khandare. The gang either kidnapped children or got consent of their biological parents with a bribe ranging from Rs80,000 to Rs4 lakh. So far, the police have arrested 35 persons in the case. Of these 18 have been granted bail so far and the rest are still in custody. The crime branch, meanwhile, is preparing to move the Bombay High Court against the bail order.

Granting bail to Dr Khandare, sessions judge VM Pathade said the offence prima facie does not fall under the definition of human trafficking as section 370 includes “exploitation”. The court also raised several questions on the crime branch, saying it’s not clear who the biological parents of these children are, what the role of the accused persons was, and “in what way, when, from where, from whom the physical custody of those children was obtained and then delivered to prospective buyers”.