Patna: The Supreme Court on Tuesday slammed the Bihar government for funding the non-government organisation (NGO) running Muzaffarpur shelter home where minor girls were sedated, tortured, raped and abused.
Criticising the government the court asked, “who is giving money to the shelter home in the state?”
The apex court asked the state government why officers did not inspect the shelter homes managed by NGOs.
Expressing concerns over the rising incidents of rape in the country, the top court said, “Women are being raped left, right and centre.” The court also referred to the National Crime Records Bureau Data stating every six hours a woman is raped in the country.
During the hearing, the Supreme Court was told by amicus curiae that no compensation was paid to the alleged victims of sexual assaults at Muzaffarpur shelter home.
Read: Sedated, woke up naked in pain: Bihar shelter home rape survivors
The apex court resumed the hearing on Muzaffarpur shelter home case on Tuesday.
The court last week had taken suo motu cognisance of the case and had sought an explanation from Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government and the Women and Child Development (WC D) Ministry as to why neither body took action to stop minor girls from being raped in shelters home in Muzaffarpur.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court also restrained the media from showing, even in morphed form, images of the alleged victims of rape and sexual assault at a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district, observing they cannot be compelled to "relive the trauma" again and again.
Also Read: Can’t let them relive trauma again: SC bans morphed images of Bihar shelter rape victims
Over 30 girls were allegedly raped at a shelter home run by one Brajesh Thakur, the chief of the state-funded NGO.
The alleged sexual exploitation of the girls first came to light after an audit report submitted by the Tata Institute of Social Science (TISS), Mumbai, to the state's social welfare department in April.
An FIR was lodged against 11 people, including Thakur on May 31. The probe has now been taken over by the CBI.
In all, sexual abuse of 34 inmates out of 42 was confirmed in their medical examination.
The NGO running the shelter home in Muzaffarpur was blacklisted and the girls were shifted to shelter homes in Patna and Madhubani.
Women staff members of the shelter home and Thakur were among those who were arrested by the local police in connection with the case.
(With inputs from agencies)
