SC visibly disturbed with transfer of CBI officers probing Muzaffarpur shelter home case

The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on the CBI for transferring its officials investigating Muzaffarpur shelter home case and sought personal appearance of those involved in the transfer process. The apex court also put an embargo on the transfer of CBI officials probing the case. The Supreme Court also opined that former CBI interim director M Nageswara Rao has prima facie committed contempt of court by transferring CBI officer AK Sharma, who was probing Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, without taking court’s consent.

“We are going to take it very very seriously. You have played with the order of Supreme Court of India. God help you. Never play with SC's order,” Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said after being informed by the CBI counsel that two officials including Rao were involved in transferring Sharma.

The top court also ordered CBI director to provide a list of other officers who processed the file to transfer AK Sharma while directing all the officers associated with the transfer of Sharma to appear before it on February 12. The officers who have been asked to make personal appearance include former Rao and one other official, who is in-charge of Director Prosecution.

The Supreme Court today transferred the trial of the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case from Bihar to a Delhi court and ordered the judge to complete the trial within six months.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi transferred the trial of the Muzaffarpur case, where minors were allegedly abused physically and mentally, to Saket district court in Delhi and ordered that it should be heard by a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court since the victims are minors.

More than 40 minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted over a period of time in the shelter home which was run by state-funded NGO by Brajesh Thakur. Subsequently, the NGO was blacklisted and the girls were shifted to other shelter homes in Patna and Madhubani. 

(With inputs from agencies.)