SC summons Nageswara Rao over transferring of officer probing Muzaffarpur shelter home case

New Delhi [India], Feb 7 (ANI): The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday sought personal appearance on February 12 of former interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao and one other official, in-charge of Director Prosecution, associated in the transfer of central investigative agency officer AK Sharma probing Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.
The top court said that Rao, prima facie, committed contempt of court by transferring Sharma, who was probing the Muzaffarpur 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 CBI counsel informed that two officials including Rao were involved in transferring Sharma.
The counsel of the probe agency had earlier informed the apex court that two officials, including Rao were involved in transferring the officer who was investigating the Muzaffarpur case.
Earlier today, the top court transferred the trial of the Muzaffarpur shelter home case from Bihar to a Delhi court and ordered the judge to complete the trial within six months.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Gogoi transferred the trial of the 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.
The top court also came down heavily on the central government and the CBI for transferring a CBI officer probing the Muzaffarpur case despite its embargo against the transfer of investigating officials.
“Was the cabinet committee which transferred him informed of Supreme Court embargo?” asked the CJI.
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.
Thakur is currently lodged in Patiala jail after the apex court on October 25 last year ordered his transfer to a prison outside Bihar saying he was an influential man and obstructing the investigation. (ANI)