Ex-minister’s husband surrenders before court

BEGUSARAI (BIHAR): Chandrashekhar Verma, the absconding husband of former Bihar minister Manju Verma who had stepped down following allegations of links with the prime accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal case, surrendered before a court here Monday, officials said.

Verma surrendered before the Manjhaul sub-divisional court in Begusarai district where Judicial Magistrate Yogesh Kumar Mishra remanded him in judicial custody till November 6.

He has been booked in an Arms Act case registered in connection with the recovery of a huge cache of ammunition from his residence in Begusarai district during a CBI raid.

His wife Manju Verma had resigned as the state social welfare minister in August.

Over 30 girls were allegedly raped at the shelter home run by Brajesh Thakur, the chief of a state-funded NGO. The alleged sexual exploitation of the girls was first highlighted in an audit report submitted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences to the state’s social welfare department. Manju Verma had to resign following reports which alleged that her husband had close links with Thakur, the prime accused in the scandal who owned the NGO which ran the shelter home.

A case was registered against Chandrashekhar Verma a few weeks after his wife’s resignation and he was recently declared an absconder . The SC while going through a status report of the CBI in the scandal last week, had expressed strong displeasure as no action was taken against Chandrashekhar Verma.