Muzaffarpur shelter home: SC rejects plea claiming prime accused was tortured in jail

New Delhi, Dec 10: The Supreme Court on Monday refuted claims alleging prime accused Brajesh Thakur's family that he was being tortured by Superintendent of Patiala Jail in Punjab for extorting money.

The Supreme Court had last Thursday ordered the medical examination of Thakur after his children alleged he was being tortured and directed that the reported be submitted before the court by Dec 10. He is scheduled to be to be produced in a Patiala court today. His children have alleged that he was being physically and mentally harassed in jail and that the jail superintendent was trying to extort money from him.

Thakur was shifted to Patiala high-security jail in Punjab from Bihar's Bhagalpur jail following the apex court's October 30 order. The order was passed after the CBI had said he was an influential person and was found in possession of mobile phone inside the Bhagalpur jail.

An FIR was lodged on May 31 against 11 people, including Thakur, who was running the shelter home. Later, the probe was taken over by the CBI and so far 17 people have been arrested in the case.

Brajesh Thakur, the main accused in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual exploitation case, was the proprietor of NGO Seva Sankalp Evam Vikas Samiti which ran a shelter home in Muzaffarpur where 34 destitute girls were allegedly drugged, tortured and raped for several months.