New Delhi
The Supreme Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of Muzaffarpur shelter home rapes and issued notices to the Bihar Government and the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development.

A Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta also restrained the media from publishing images, including morphed ones, of victims or interviews with them. “They (victims) cannot be compelled to relive the trauma again and again,” the Bench said.

It directed the investigating agency to take assistance of professional counsellors and qualified child psychiatrists for questioning the victims.

While appointing advocate Aparna Bhat as amicus curiae to assist it in the matter, the court posted the case for further hearing on August 7.

The Bench, which is already seized of issues related to jail and observation homes, took suo motu cognisance after receiving a letter by one Ranvijay Kumar from Patna, highlighting the plight of girls in the Muzaffarpur shelter home for the destitute where dozens of inmates were allegedly sedated and raped. Many girls were found missing and it’s alleged that those who resisted rape were killed.

The shelter home was run by a local NGO, Seva Sankalp and Vikas Samiti. NGO owner Brajesh Thakur has since been arrested.