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Satya Prakash
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, November 12
The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Bihar Director General of Police to appear in person before it on November 27 to explain why former minister Manju Verma had not been arrested in connection with the recovery of illegal ammunition from her house.
A Bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur also summoned the Bihar Chief Secretary on November 27 for non-implementation of its directions on shelter homes.
At the outset of the hearing, the Bench – also comprising Justice Deepak Gupta – asked if the former minister had been arrested. As it was told that Verma was not traceable, the Bench reacted angrily. “Fantastic! (ex) cabinet minister is not traceable, fantastic! How could it happen that ex-cabinet minister is absconding and nobody knows where she is? You realise the seriousness of the issue that the (ex) cabinet minister is not traceable? This is too much,” Justice Lokur said.
“We are shocked that a former cabinet minister could not be traced by the police for over a month,” he added.
The top court had earlier asked the Bihar Police to investigate former minister Manju Verma and her husband Chandrashekhar Verma in connection with the recovery of huge quantity of ammunition from them. Manju Verma had to resign as the Minister of Social Welfare from the Bihar Government in the wake of the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse case.
The Patna HC had dismissed her anticipatory bail plea on October 9. Her husband had surrendered before a Begusarai court last month. The main case pertains to the rape and sexual abuse of inmates of a shelter home in Muzaffarpur, which was brought to the notice of the police in May. The SC had in September directed the CBI to probe the matter particularly the power wielded by main accused Brajesh Thakur.
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