There is no question of allowing anyone, be it leaders or persons claiming to be wardens, to meet the children lodged in Homes after being rescued from the clutches of brothel operators in Yadadri, the Telangana High Court said on Thursday.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Thottathil B. Radhakrishnan and Justice E. Rajasheker Reddy directed the Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) of Ranga Reddy and Nalgonda districts to ensure that no outsiders were allowed to meet the children. The bench had earlier taken up a newspaper report on child prostitution racket busted in temple town of Yadadri, 50 km away from Hyderabad, as Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition.
Non-governmental organisation Prajwala (in a Home run by which some of the rescued children were accommodated) brought to the notice of the bench that several persons, including local leaders, were meeting the children on the pretext of consoling them. It submitted to the court that it was helpless in the matter as the CWCs concerned were permitting the visitors. The NGO told the bench that the visitors were behaving in high-handed manner if they were not allowed to meet the children.
The CJ made it clear that no visitor should be permitted to see the children hereafter. “What work do the leaders have in a Home?” he sought to know and told the NGO to inform the local police if anyone tries to meet children forcibly in violation of rules. The bench instructed the CWCs to furnish in a sealed cover details like how many persons were permitted by them to see the children, on what ground and how many met the children.
The Special Government Pleader Sharath, agreeing with the contention of the NGO, observed that frequent visits by leaders and others to the Homes where rescued children were lodged, would hamper the investigation. The children were recovering from the physical and mental agony and such visits would be counter productive, he said.
Mr. Sharath submitted to the bench that Rachakonda police were likely to complete investigation into the Yadadri child prostitution racket in a couple of months and file the charge-sheet.