The top court expressed concern that alleged victims of sexual assault at Bihar shelter home were “subjected to media interviews again and again”.
The Supreme Court. (Photo: IANS)
The Supreme Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged sexual assault of minor girls at a shelter home in Muzaffarpur and issued notices to the Bihar government and the Women and Child Development (WCD) Ministry.
The top court expressed concern over the identity of victims being revealed by the media.
The apex court has now restrained the media from telecasting images and videos of minor rape victims even in blurred and morphed form.
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The top court expressed concern that alleged victims of sexual assault at Bihar shelter home were “subjected to media interviews again and again” and it asked media not to interview the victims as they cannot be compelled to relive trauma again and again.
The case came to light earlier this year when the Bihar Social Welfare Department filed an FIR based on a social audit of the shelter home conducted by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai.
The Left parties in Bihar called for a shut-down on Thursday as the Opposition mounts its attack on the Nitish Kumar-led government.
The shutdown reportedly hit rail and road traffic.
The state-wide shutdown is backed by opposition parties, including the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) (RJD), Congress, Hindustani Swam Morcha, Samajwadi Party and Lokrantrik Janata Dal.
Left party workers and supporters blocked railway tracks thereby affecting over a dozen trains since early Thursday morning.
According to reports, trains were stopped in Darbhanga, Madhubani, Jahanabad, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Patna and Bhojpur districts. Protesters have also blocked several roads in Siwan, Bhojpur, Nawada, Patna, Arwal, Jagabad districts.
The CBI on Sunday took over case following a recommendation by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
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