Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case: Shocked that former Cabinet Minister cannot be traced for a month

The Supreme Court pulled up the Bihar Police today for its failure to arrest the ex-cabinet minister Manju Verma in relation to the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case..The Bench of Justice Madan Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta has summoned the Director General of Police, Bihar seeking an explanation on the Police’s failure to arrest Verma..At the beginning of the hearing, the Court was apprised that Verma was not traceable when Justice Lokur asked if “the lady has been arrested till now“..“Fantastic! Cabinet Minister is not traceable, fantastic. How could it happen that ex-cabinet minister is absconding and nobody knows where she is. You realise the seriousness of the issue that the cabinet minister is not traceable? This is too much,” Justice Lokur expressed his shock..“We are shocked that former cabinet minister cannot be traced by the Police for over a month,” he added.Last August, the police had registered an FIR against Verma, former Social Welfare Minister, and her husband, after the recovery of firearms from her in-laws’ residence during raids carried out in connection with the Muzaffarpur Shelter Home case..The Court has sought the personal appearance of the Director General of Police, Bihar on November 27, when the case will be heard next..The main case pertains to the rape and sexual abuse of inmates of a shelter home in Muzaffarpur, which was brought to the notice of the police in May this year. The matter eventually reached the courts, with the Patna High Court passing a gag order on reporting of the case. On an appeal against this order, the Supreme Court lifted the blanket ban on media coverage, urging the press to tread cautiously instead..In September this year, the Supreme Court had also directed the CBI to investigate the matter. More specifically, the influence and power wielded by Brajesh Thakur – the person in charge of the NGOs that were managing the shelter homes in Muzaffarpur – was ordered to be probed.