Acquittal in Muzaffarpur Shelter Home Case Sparks Controversy

Brajesh Thakur and two associates were acquitted by a special SC-ST court due to lack of evidence in a Muzaffarpur shelter home case. Despite this acquittal, they remain imprisoned on other convictions. The case involved alleged sexual assaults on minors, revealed by a TISS report, causing national outrage.

Brajesh Thakur, a name once synonymous with the Muzaffarpur shelter home scandal, finds himself acquitted in one of the cases concerning missing women and girls. The special SC-ST court made its decision based on insufficient evidence, a ruling that has left many questioning the judicial outcomes.

Despite their acquittal, Thakur and his associates, Shaista Praveen alias Madhu and Krishna Kumar, continue to serve life sentences. Their prior convictions stem from related cases of violence and sexual exploitation at the shelter home, heard in a Delhi court in 2020.

The horrifying revelations initially emerged from a Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) report. The report exposed appalling abuses at the shelter home, leading to a high-profile investigation by the CBI. While the SC-ST court's ruling has been met with dismay, it underscores ongoing challenges in obtaining justice for victims.

(With inputs from agencies.)