Court to pass order on framing of charges in Muzaffarpur shelter home case on Mar 30

A Saket court on Monday decided to pass on March 30 the order on framing of charges in the infamous shelter home sexual assault case of Muzaffarpur in Bihar.

The Special POCSO Court of Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshta here directed that hearing in the case will start on a day-to-day basis from April 3 and recording of evidence would take place from that day.

The charge sheet filed by the CBI names 21 people including main accused Brajesh Thakur who used to run the state-funded NGO in Bihar where minor girls were allegedly sexually abused over a period of time.

Earlier, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi had transferred the trial of the case from Bihar to a Delhi court and ordered the judge to complete it within six months.

The bench while transferring the trial to the Saket district court, had said that it should be heard by a judge dealing with Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act cases since the victims are minors.

The apex court on October 31 last year had also rapped Bihar Police for its failure in arresting former state minister Manju Verma, who came under scrutiny after it was found that her husband Chandrashekhar Verma allegedly had links with Brajesh Thakur in the alleged sexual assaults in the Muzaffarpur shelter home.

The case pertains to 44 girls who used to reside at the state-run shelter home.