[New Delhi] Taut Alluring Air Passengers Found Legally Guilty
A local court has held a man guilty of touting for passengers outside the domestic airport here by offering cheap taxi fares and hotel stays, observing that such practices by “unscrupulous” autorickshaw and cab drivers were prevalent and common.
Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma said.”It is in knowledge of everyone that in airport outside arrival hall, several unscrupulous autorickshaw and cab drivers allure passengers to cheap hotels, low fares and other benefits and in most of the cases autos do not have registration with the pre?paid taxi booth,”
While convicting Mahesh Kumar, a Delhi resident and autorickshaw driver, of the offence under Delhi Prevention of Touting and Malpractices against Tourists Ordinance Act, the court also held that absence of an independent witness or passenger did not weaken the case.
“It is also common that generally passengers do not want to become witness to any legal proceedings and they avoid becoming witnesses or even complain so as to prevent further? harassment of them in legal proceedings,”
The court, which is yet to pronounce the quantum of sentence, also rejected the contention of accused that the prosecution case should not be believed as investigating officer was himself the complainant in the case which was against the principles of natural justice.
It Said “Nowhere the law prevents policeman to become complainant or competent witness. A policeman is as competent a witness as any other person and where the testimony of policeman is? reliable and trustworthy and plausible explanation is given by the police for not making any public person as witness, the testimony can be relied upon,” .