Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case: SC summons ex-interim CBI chief M Nageswara Rao for transferring probe officer

Supreme Court on Thursday summoned former interim Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) director M Nageswara Rao and another official linked with the transfer of agency officer AK Sharma investigating the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case. ANI reported that the apex court said Rao has “prima facie committed contempt of court by transferring CBI officer AK Sharma”. The Supreme Court sought the former interim CBI director’s personal appearance on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_5731831” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of the Supreme Court. AP[/caption] “We are going to take it very, very seriously. You have played with order of Supreme Court of India. God help you. Never play with SC’s order,” ANI quoted Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi as saying. On Thursday, Supreme Court ordered the transfer of the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case from Bihar to a court in New Delhi and lashed out at the state government for its management of shelter homes. A bench headed by CJI Gogoi said the cases should be transferred from the Bihar CBI court to a Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Saket trial court within two weeks. It ordered the Saket trial court to conclude the trial within six months. The apex court also rapped the CBI for transferring its officer probing the sexual assault case and said it amounted to a violation of its order. The bench asked the investigating agency to file an affidavit giving an explanation. “Enough is enough. Children cannot be treated like this. You cannot let your officers treat children this way. Spare the children,” the top court told the Bihar government. It said the court will summon the chief secretary if the state fails to give all the information. Several teens were raped and sexually abused allegedly at an NGO-run shelter home in Muzaffarpur. The issue came to light last May following a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). With inputs from PTI