New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) Supreme Court judge Indira Banerjee on Thursday recalled meeting a 14-year old girl, who was trafficked under the false pretence of a job while working with the West Bengal Legal Services Authority, and said she still gets goose pimples after thinking about her.
The top court judge shared her experience while hearing an appeal seeking stay on the release of the movie “Gangubai Kathiawadi”.
The bench also comprising Justice J K Maheshwari dismissed the appeal against the Bombay High Court order.
Justice Banerjee was hearing arguments on the depiction of the protagonist in the film, which is centred around the journey of a woman forced into becoming a sex worker.
“This court recognises the ignominy of harassment that such people have to go through… If you ask me personally, I have every respect for those women who are pushed like this. I used to head the West Bengal Legal Services Authority and before that, I used to head the Calcutta High Court Legal Aid Committee,” she said. She went on to say how in course of her work, she came across the trafficked girl.
“Even today it sends goose pimples when I think about a 14-year-old girl who was not getting four square meals. She was being brought by an aunt who could not fend for herself. Some aunt in her locality told her to come to Bombay for a job in a restaurant,” Justice Banerjee said.
“She agreed to go to Mumbai thinking she will able to get four square meals. In Bengali, she said I will get four times rice to eat. When she went there she was abused by multiple men. Everyone wanted a young girl. Some of them insisted that she satisfied them unprotected. Fortunately, she was able to escape with the help of one of her clients. She contracted HIV. It still sends shivers. She caught my hand and asked what wrong have I done,” she said, adding that this is the plight of people who are there.
“I do not look upon anyone,” she added.
“Gangubai Kathiawadi” has been adapted from one of the chapters of author Hussain Zaidi’s book, “Mafia Queens of Mumbai”.
Kathiawadi was a native of Gujarat who earned a name for herself as one of Mumbai’s well-known and influential brothel owners. PTI PKS ZMN
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.