Patna: The high court on Thursday took the Central Bureau of Investigation to task over not submitting the action taken report in the Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes case, and prohibited media coverage of the agency's investigation into the case.
Hearing the case suo motu, the division bench of Chief Justice Mukesh R. Shah and Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan asked the CBI counsel, "Why has the ATR (action taken report) not been submitted in relation to the case?"
The court also took notice of the transfer of CBI superintendent of police J.P. Mishra from the case and appointment of Devendra Singh in his place.
Mishra was transferred from the case on Tuesday, two days before the action taken report was to be submitted to the court.
Chief Justice Shah said: "Why has the CBI SP who was monitoring the case been transferred and in place another officer has been appointed to monitor the case?"
He also asked how news of the Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes case was being leaked to the media. The court then restrained the media from publishing news on the Muzaffarpur shelter home case any further in context with the investigations being carried out by the CBI. On being reprimanded for not submitting the action taken report on time, the state government and the CBI sought some more time from the court. The bench directed them to submit the report latest by August 27.
Chief Justice Shah in his order said to the CBI: "You cite the reason why ATR was not submitted on time."
The court had on August 6 decided to monitor the CBI investigation into the alleged sexual exploitation and abuse of minor girls at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur district. The court had also ordered a speedy trial and given the CBI two weeks' time to prepare a report on the case, which came to light in April following an audit of the shelter home by TISS which said many girls had complained of sexual abuse.
Patna High Court has accepted the state government's appeal to hold an HC-monitored CBI inquiry and conduct speedy trials in a special court, Bihar's advocate general Lalit Kishor had then said.
Kishor on Thursday asked for some more time to file the action taken report but the court gave only three days.
Govt advisory
The social welfare department has written to the information and public relations department, requesting it to ensure that media houses do not publish information related to the Muzaffarpur Balika Grih rape case and investigations into it.
The letter written by social welfare director Raj Kumar has written the letter in the light of an advisory by advocate general Ram Balak Mahto to the department citing Patna High Court observations on the CBI wondering how information related to investigations is being leaked out to journalists. The CBI is currently probing the Muzaffarpur case.