HC adjourns hearing in Deoria shelter home case till Aug 27

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of Deoria shelter home case till August 27.

A division bench comprising chief justice DB Bhosale and justice Yashwant Varma observed, “The disturbing facts surrounding the affairs of Deoria shelter home which were noticed earlier, and our first impressions as reflected in our previous order dated August 13, 2018, are only reinforced.”

“During the course of our interaction, the allegations of physical and mental abuse of the inmates being forced to undertake menial work and compelled to live in sordid conditions were reiterated,” the court said, adding the victims spoke of instances of being taken out of the shelter home.

“Presently, we do not deem it appropriate to record our interaction in detail and shall do so at an appropriate stage. It is evident that victims have been psychologically scarred by their experience at the shelter home,” it said.

Taking the condition of victims into consideration, the court said the ends of justice would merit the appointment of a child psychologist who could interact with them, assess their condition and submit a report to the court.

Earlier on August 8, the court taken suo motu cognizance of reports published in newspapers in connection with the shelter home case.

The court had said it would monitor investigation into the alleged sex racket being run from the women’s shelter home in Deoria. HTLC