Supreme Court directs CBI to probe Bihar shelter home cases

The Supreme Court Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the alleged abuse of inmates at 16 shelter homes in the state. The central investigation agency is already probing the Muzaffarpur shelter home case.

Dismissing the state government’s appeal against a CBI probe, the court also said that the officers probing the case shall not be changed.

The CBI informed the court that it will file a charge sheet by December 7.

An audit report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in April this year, which was handed to the Bihar government, had revealed alleged abuse of inmates, many of whom were minors, at 14 shelter homes across the state. The report, which found that abuse is “prevalent in almost all institutions”, cited sexual exploitation and physical abuse.