Why judgment in Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes got delayed

New Delhi: A special Pocso court on Thursday postponed the judgment in the Muzaffarpur shelter home rape case.

Special Judge Saurabh Kulshreshta has deferred the matter for December 12, as due to the ongoing strike by lawyers after their clashes at Tis Hazari courts with police, a security threat has emerged due to which physical production of the accused was not possible.

The next best option would be production through video conferencing but this was not a feasible option in this case as there are 21 accused in the case.

The court had concluded the final arguments in the case on September 30 and reserved its order.

The court had earlier framed various charges against the accused persons including criminal conspiracy to commit rape and penetrative sexual assault.

Former Bihar People’s Party MLA Brajesh Thakur, the prime accused in the case, was charged under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, including Section 6 (aggravated sexual assault).

The accused include employees of his shelter home and officials of Bihar’s Social Welfare Department. The matter had come to light following an audit report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.