Bhubaneswar, Jan. 29: The child welfare committee (CWC), in a letter to the National Human Rights Commission, has appraised the latter of recent developments in the Budhia Singh saga.

Speaking to The Telegraph, chairman of the Khurda district CWC, Ravishankar Mishra said: “The NHRC had been asking us about the case since long. Last time it asked us to appraise it of the developments but the case was pending in a court. I have appraised the NHRC in view of the recent high court order on Budhia Singh.”

The court, on January 25, cleared the decks for the committee to go ahead with proceedings against Budhia’s coach Biranchi Das for alleged “cruelty to a child, abuse for unconscionable gain and protection of human rights of the child”.

Proceedings against Das under the Juvenile Justice (Care & Protection) Act, 2000, are yet to resume as the CWC has still not obtained a copy of the high court order. “We applied for a copy of the order today and expect it to arrive in a couple of days,” Mishra said.

The committee, however, is not too keen to take drastic steps right now. “The boy has not been made to run by Das as frequently as before. So, I personally do not feel an immediate need to go for action”, said the CWC official.

“We can always take action when he (Das) continues to exploit the child for unconscionable gains, violating the human rights of the child in the process,” he added.

Last year, the CWC had issued summons to Das while inquiring into an allegation that Biranchi had been frequently engaging the boy in long distance marathon runs in various places of the state.

The controversial coach, who has been in the line of fire for long, said he would decide on his course of action only after receiving the full text of the high court judgment. “I may also move the Supreme Court,” said Das.