SC to hear plea against 2 foreigners in child abuse case on Aug 1

New Delhi, Jul 29 (UNI) The Supreme Court will hear on August 1 an appeal of Mumbai-based NGO Childline against the acquittal of two Britishers by the Bombay High Court in a child abuse case.

The Bombay High Court had acquitted Duncan Grant and retired naval officer Allan Waters on July 23 for want of evidence and had reversed the trial court order sentencing them to six years' imprisonment, along with a fine of 20,000 pounds each.

William D'Souza, who was running children's home Anchorage, was also sentenced to three years' imprisonment for physically torturing the victims to prevent them from lodging complaint against the two Britishers, who were allegedly subjecting the children to sodomy and unnatural sex under threat.

In 2001, a police case was registered when a boy lodged a complaint and later four other boys followed suit.

Senior counsel F S Nariman today mentioned the matter before a bench, comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices R V Raveendran and J M Panchal, for urgent hearing as the two foreigners might flee the country.

The apex court declined the plea for directions to the authorities not to permit the two foreigners to leave the country, saying once the two have been acquitted, they could not be prevented from leaving the country.

Allen Waters was extradited from Britain in 2003 to face trial in the case.

The appeal has been filed in the apex court by the NGO through its head Kajal Menon. The case is popularly known as Anchorage Case.

UNI SC SKB AS1745