india

Updated: Feb 17, 2019 08:37 IST

A special court that deals with offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act) has forwarded to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) a petition seeking an inquiry against Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and some officials in connection with a case of alleged sexual abuse at a Muzaffarpur shelter home, the lawyer for the petitioner said.

The petition was filed by lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha on behalf of Ashwani Kumar, an accused in the case and a self-styled medical practitioner who allegedly used to inject the shelter home’s inmates with sedatives before they were subjected to sexual abuse.

New agency PTI later said the complaint relates to release of funds to shelter homes.

Several attempts made by HT to reach the chief minister’s office for comment were unsuccessful. Hindustan Times couldn’t independently confirm the development.

The POCSO court forwarded a copy of the petition to the superintendent of police, CBI, on February 16, claimed Ojha, who said that a certified copy of the court’s directive would be available on Monday or Tuesday.

“This is a fabricated news. Where is the order? Those giving statements should know the law,” Neeraj Kumar, spokesman for the ruling Janata Dal (United) said, referring to opposition politicians who called for Nitish Kumar’s resignation. It was our government which gave orders for social audit of shelter homes. We pleaded that court should monitor the case.”

A lawyer in Muzaffarpur said the petition had been forwarded to the CBI as a matter of procedure.

“It’s a routine procedure that if any accused petitions the court to forward his application, the court forwards it. The special court has no power to pass direction to CBI for investigation nor the honourable special court has given any such order of investigation or probe against CM and others,” Sharat Sinha, a Muzaffarpur lawyer, told TV channels.

The Muzaffarpur case involves the alleged sexual abuse of 34 out of 42 inmates living at a shelter home run by a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in the town. A first information report was lodged against 12 people on May 31, 2018, following which the shelter home was sealed, the NGO running it had its registration cancelled and its owner Brajesh Thakur, the main suspect in the case, was arrested.

The case was handed over to the CBI in July last year and weeks later social welfare minister Manju Verma stepped down following allegations that her husband had close links with Thakur.

(An earlier version of this story, based on a news agency PTI report, said a probe had been ordered)