The Patna High Court on Thursday pulled up the CBI, which is probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case, for its failure to submit the status report. The court also asked the agency how information related to the case leaked to the media and why an SP-rank officer, who was part of the investigation, was transferred.
The Patna High Court is monitoring the case relating to the sexual abuse of 34 girls at the shelter home. It fixed August 27 as the next date of hearing. In its previous order of August 6, the court had directed the CBI to appear before the court through a counsel and submit a report on the status of the investigation.
A Division Bench of the court, comprising Chief Justice Mukesh R. Shah and Justice Ravi Ranjan, on Thursday asked the agency why the status report was not being submitted. It also asked the CBI to submit to the court in a sealed envelope the reason for transferring its Superintendent of Police J.P. Mishra. The officer was transferred on Tuesday.
Order for media
The court asked the media to refrain from publishing details of the investigation as it could affect the probe. The director of the State Social Welfare Department, Raj Kumar, sent a letter to the Information and Public Relations Department asking it to ensure that “no information related to the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case and its investigation is published in the media”.
The Opposition parties in the State have questioned the transfer of the SP alleging that it would adversely affect the probe. “So after Bihar Governor, CM Nitish also got CBI SP transferred. Tomorrow he would have submitted progress report on Muzaffarpur shelter home mass rape case in High Court. The investigation was reaching to “Patna Sir” mentioned in Brajesh Thakur diary. Chacha [uncle], wait and watch, who’s he?” tweeted Leader of the Opposition in Assembly Tejashwi Yadav.