Bihar rapes: SC takes note, wants counsellors roped in

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday took note of the alleged rapes in a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur and imposed a blanket ban on showing images (hidden or morphed) of minor victims.

A bench of Justice MB Lokur and Deepak Gupta took cognisance of the matter on its own and expressed concern that the alleged victims of sexual assault at the shelter home were subjected to media interviews again and again.

It asked the media not to interview the victims, saying they cannot be compelled to relive the trauma repeatedly.

The top court said the probe agency would take the help of professional counsellors and qualified child psychiatrist to question the victims.

The top court also issued notices to the Bihar government, Women and Child Development ministry and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

The Bihar government has been asked to give the status of investigation in the case, While TISS has been asked to submit a copy of the audit that had unearthed the whole matter..

TISS, in May this year, had uncovered the sexual abuse scam while doing a social audit of 110 institutions in Bihar.

More than 30 girls were allegedly raped and tortured at a government-funded shelter home in Muzaffarpur district, from where 42 girls were rescued earlier this month. A medical board of Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) in June had confirmed the sexual abuse of a majority of the girls of the ‘Balika Grih’.

The Nitish Kumar-led government is under pressure from opposition parties in the state to act against the culprits and Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav has even accused it of shielding the culprits in the case.