End to 'moral policing' in Mumbai: Cops won't use Section 110 of Bombay Police Act anymore

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Mumbai: Mumbai couples rejoice! The next time you are in a public place you are unlikely to be troubled by the 'moral police'.

The Mumbai Police have now decided that they will no more use Section 110 (public indecency) of the Bombay Police Act, 1951, Mid Day reported.

This is the same section which the police had used in the recent past to, in the words of critics, to harass citizens.

Mostly at the receiving end of 'moral policing' have been Mumbai couples.

In one such case, the Mumbai Police had detained nearly 40 couples from hotels at Madh Island and Aksa. Charges of public indecency were pressed against them.

The police, however, faced severe backlash from the society and the the then Mumbai Police commissioner Rakesh Maria had to warn cops against harassing couples in public places.

The decision to refrain from using Section 110 was taken by the police at a high-level meet last week.

At that meeting, Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deven Bharti also passed the order refraining the police from acting under Section 151 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows an officer to arrest a citizen - without a warrant or a Magistrate's order.