A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justice S Radhakrishnan, passed the order on a petition filed by Prerna, a non-governmental organisation working with commercial sex workers in Kamathipura. The petition, which refers to the continuous and on-going drive to rescue minor girls, points out that all is not well in at least one rescue home, Kasturba Sadan.

The petition argued by counsel Colin Gonsalves, points out that almost all the amenities in the home, including drinking water, food and sanitation, are below par and unusable. It also draws attention to the lack of hygiene in the home, where at least 32 minor girls who were rescuedare housed at present. The girls were lodged there after one such rescue drive on March 11, it states.

While the state counsels were unable to provide a satisfactory response to the petition, the court said it wanted to ascertain the conditions in the home for itself. Hence it had ordered a surprise visit. While the officials are expected to submit a report on the matter, the petition will be heard next on April 28.

In 1996, the then chief justice M B Shah had suo moto converted a report on the red light area in Express Newsline into a writ petition and directed the police to conduct a raid in these areas and rescue minor girls trapped in them. Issues about the rehabilitation of these girls in a state ill-equipped to rehabilitate them had arisen even then.

Prerna's present litigation, while referring to these earlier orders, is however a fresh petition seeking judicial intervention on the manner in which rescue homes in the city function.