Taking Note Of Bihar Rapes, Supreme Court Bans Photos Of Abused Children

The horrific child rapes at a shelter home in Bihar's Muzaffarpur have drawn the attention of the Supreme Court, which issued notice to the state and the central government today. Expressing concern about the girls, the court said from now, publication of morphed images of the children will not be allowed.

The top court today took suo motu cognizance of the nightmarish exploitation and torture of more than 30 minor girls, which has shaken the country. The charge-sheet in the case details a network of police, politicians, administration and criminals behind the racket that has been going on for around four years.

Pointing out that the children who underwent sexual assault were "subjected to "media interviews again and again", the court asked the media not to interview such children as they cannot be compelled to relive trauma again.

The matter became public in June after the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, called in to audit the state's welfare homes, mentioned the grisly accounts from the children in their report.

The man who ran the shelter home, 55-year-old Brijesh Thakur, has been arrested and chargesheeted along with nine others. Owner of a local daily, "Pratah Kamal", he was well-known in the corridors of power in Patna.

Over the weekend, photographs of him laughing while being led away by the police, had triggered outrage on social media.

Brajesh Thakur ran several non-profits and was a member of several state-level media committees, including the press accreditation, Press Information Bureau and the Bihar assembly press committee. Many have accused him of bribing his way to profit and privileges.

Girls from the shelter home have said he was involved in the rapes, beatings and torture that had become part of life at the shelter.  His accomplice was the caretaker,  "Kiran Aunty", who often sexually abused the girls.