The main accused, Brajesh Thakur, is said to wield a lot of influence over politicians in Bihar.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against all the accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home case in a special court, news agency ANI reported today.
The case pertains to the sexual exploitation of several girls allegedly by influential politicians and bureaucrats at an NGO-run shelter home in the district over a period of 10 years. The case, which is now being heard by a court formed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, was first brought to the attention of authorities in a report filed by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.
Medical tests found that as many as 34 of the 42 girls lodged at the government-run shelter home, called Balika Grih, were sexually assaulted. Earlier this month, the Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation began demolishing the structure.
The main accused, Brajesh Thakur, was said to be close with politicians in the ruling Janata Dal(United) government. A few months ago, the Supreme Court described Mr Thakur as "a very influential man" and recommended shifting him to a jail outside the state to prevent any "obstruction to the ongoing probe".
The Enforcement Directorate, which is also probing the case, has summoned Mr Thakur's family members -- his son Rahul Anand and wife Asha Thakur -- for questioning on December 24 and 26 respectively.
The scandal had provided the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal with a handle to target the Nitish Kumar government, whom they accused of backing Mr Thakur's venture. Bihar Social Welfare Minister Manju Verma resigned after investigations revealed that her husband, Chandrashekhar Verma, had spoken to the main accused several times between January and June.
(With inputs from ANI)