agencies / Lucknow
The Allahabad high court Wednesday slammed the UP government over the Deoria shelter home sex racket and asking it why police sent girls to the home even after it was blacklisted.
While hearing a Public Interest Petition (PIL) filed by social activists Padma Singh and Anuradha, a division bench of Chief Justice DB Bhosle and Justice Yashwant Verma asked the CBI to table all the documents and findings by August 13.
The bench of chief justice D B Bhosale and justice Yashwant Varma, which said that it would monitor the investigation into the case, made the remark when the state’s counsel, Neeraj Tripathi told it that action had been taken against the shelter home, including blacklisting and stopping of funds a year ago.
“What is the use of such steps if police officers kept on sending girls to the same shelter home which was blacklisted long back? What action was taken against such police officers by the state government?”
“It seems that the owners had the patronage of some politician or VIP. The girls were being shifted to the shelter home and no action was taken against the managers though several complaints in this regard were received by the district administration from time to time,” the court said.
When the state government informed the court that it had sent a letter to the home ministry recommending a CBI probe into the case, the court said it would monitor investigation to ensure that it goes in the right direction.
Fixing August 13 as the next date of hearing, the court directed CBI counsel Gyan Prakash and additional advocate general (AAG) Neeraj Tripathi to ensure that a copy of the statements of all the inmates of the shelter home was placed before it.
The court asked the counsels to apprise it if CCTVs were installed in or around the shelter home and who owned the cars in which minor girls were taken in the night as mentioned in media reports.
AAG Tripathi also informed the court that the district magistrate of Deoria was immediately transferred to ensure fair investigation.
On Sunday night, police raided the shelter home, Maa Vindhyavasini Mahila and Balika Sanrakshan Grih, after a 10-year-old girl escaped from the home and informed the police about alleged flesh trade being forced on the inmates.
Police rescued 24 women and found 18 others missing and also arrested the shelter home manager Girija Tripathi, her husband Mohan Tripathi and their daughters Kanchan Lata Tripathi and Kanak Lata Tripathi.
The racket at the shelter home came to the fore after 10-year-old girl managed to escape and informed the police about the dubious activities happening there. Girija Tripathi and her husband, who were running the shelter home, were arrested.
The Uttar Pradesh government had recommended a CBI probe into the case on Tuesday after the role of police came under the scanner.