Delhi HC Dismisses PIL against Cross-gender Massages in Spas

The Delhi High Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought to impose a ban on cross-gender massages in the city's spas and massage centres.

The division bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Singh Arora, cited the reason for dismissal as the matter already being under the consideration of a single judge.

The PIL, filed by Anuj Malhotra, also included a request for the Delhi government to regularly share recordings from spas or massage centres with the Delhi Commission for Women.

Malhotra's counsel argued that cross-gender massages contravened the “Guidelines for Operation of Spas/Massage Centers in Delhi,” issued by the Delhi Government in 2021.

According to the counsel, such services were often provided in locked rooms, breaching the guidelines and potentially facilitating illegal prostitution.

However, the bench said that a single judge is already examining the validity of the mentioned guidelines, leading to the conclusion that entertaining the current public interest litigation would be redundant.

“Since the learned Single Judge is already seized of the controversy, this Court is of the view that the present public interest cannot be entertained. Accordingly, the present petition is dismissed,” the court declared, putting an end to the PIL's pursuit for now.