Delhi court likely to give verdict in Muzaffarpur shelter home case on Jan 14

A Delhi court is likely to pass judgment on Tuesday in the alleged sexual and physical assault of girls at a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur district.

The court had earlier ordered that all the accused need to be present in the court during the pronouncement of the verdict.

The order was slated to be pronounced in December last year but it was deferred due to the non-availability of the concerned judge.

Before that, it was scheduled for November 14 but due to lawyers' strike in the wake of Tis Hazari clashes, it was deferred. Additional Session Judge Saurabh Kulshrestha had on September 30 kept the order reserved after concluding arguments of both the sides.

More than 40 minor girls were allegedly sexually assaulted over a period of time in the shelter home which was run by Brajesh Thakur's state-funded non-governmental orgzation (NGO). Thakur is the purported mastermind of the incidents.

Earlier, the court had framed various charges including criminal conspiracy to commit rape and penetrative sexual assault against the accused in the case. The gruesome incident came to light after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) filed an affidavit detailing horrifying sexual abuse cases at the shelter homes.

In December last year, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had filed a charge sheet against 21 accused in the case.

The Supreme Court had earlier transferred the case from Bihar to a Delhi court and ordered the judge to complete it within six months. Trial Court then framed charges against 21 accused in the case.

( With inputs from ANI )