Will monitor Deoria probe: Allahabad HC
ALLAHABAD/DEORIA: Taking suo motu cognisance of newspaper reports, the Allahabad high court on Wednesday said it would monitor investigation into an alleged sexual exploitation at a women’s shelter home in Deoria.
The court asked the government counsel why the police kept sending girls to the shelter home even after it was blacklisted and lost its licence a year ago, and said it appeared that the accused enjoyed the patronage of a politician or a VIP, due to which no action was taken against the manager despite complaints.
When the state government informed the court it sent a letter to the home ministry recommending a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the case, the court said it would monitor investigation to ensure that it went in the right direction.
The bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice Yashwant Varma passed the order and fixed August 13 as the next date of hearing. The court directed CBI counsel Gyan Prakash and additional advocate general Neeraj Tripathi to ensure a copy of the statements of all the inmates of the shelter home was placed before it on the next date of hearing and a responsible officer investigating the case should also be present in court.
The case came to light on Sunday after a 10-year-old girl escaped the premises by scaling a wall and told the police about a sex racket run from the home. Police said 18 girls were missing from the home.
State women and child welfare minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi has said the state government sent several letter to shut down the shelter and shift the children since last year but all of them were disregarded.
The state government has suspended the district magistrate and recommended a CBI probe.
On Wednesday, parents and guardians of some of the residents of the Maa Vindhyavasini Mahila and Balika Sanrakshan Griha reached Deoria and demanded they be allowed to meet the girls. They also said they didn’t know of any crime occurring on the premises. The district administration officials, however, did not allow them to meet the girls and asked them to move the court to get the custody of girls. “The rescued girls will only be released on the direction of the court. We have advised all parents and guardians to approach the court to secure their release order,” said newlyappointed district magistrate of Deoria Amit Kishore.