Muzaffarpur shelter home case: Arguments on framing of charges from March 2

NEW DELHI: The CBI informed a court on Wednesday about the appointment of advocates Amit Jindal and R N Sinha as two Special Public Prosecutors in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

Several young inmates were allegedly raped and sexually abused at the NGO-run shelter home in Bihar.  The Supreme Court on February 7 had ordered that the case be transferred from Bihar to a Pocso court at Saket district court complex for concluding the trial within six months.

Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha told the investigating agency that it could file a supplementary budget within 15 days if it was necessary.

Jindal, meanwhile, sought time from the court to prepare his arguments on the framing of charges, after which the court said arguments on framing of charges could start from March 2.

Recently, the court had pulled up the investigating agency for the delay in notifying Special Public Prosecutors in the case. The special had also warned the probe agency that any laxity would amount to contempt and action would be taken against it.

“Do not expect the court to wait for one week for the notification to come. You are as much bound by the Supreme Court order as I am. Do not take me to that stage that I should write to the Supreme Court that the CBI is in contempt of the order initiated by the court. Already once you have suffered contempt,” the judge had said.

In the Muzaffarpur shelter home abuse case, an FIR was lodged against 11 people in May last year. 
Subsequently, the CBI took over the probe and 21 people were named as accused in its charge sheet filed before a special court in Patna. All the accused are in custody.