The Supreme Court today directed the Ministry of Women and Child Development to place before it the data of social audit and survey conducted at around 3,000 shelter homes across the country.
A bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur, while hearing the case of alleged sexual abuse of girls in a NGO-run shelter home at Muzaffarpur in Bihar, was informed by the Centre that a survey was conducted in around 3,000 shelter homes about infrastructure, facilities provided as well as staffs there.
Additional Solicitor General Pinky Anand, appearing for the Centre, said that the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has got the survey done and the final report was under preparation.
"Whatever data is available with the Ministry of Women and Child Development should be placed on record," the bench, also comprising justices Deepak Gupta and K M Joseph, said.
During the hearing, when Anand told the bench about the social audit of these institutions, the bench asked, "what about the time frame".
Anand said that she would get instructions about it and place the details before the court about the time line and the agency involved in the process.
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"In the Muzaffarpur case, the Government of India has issued advisory to the Bihar government. We (Centre) are also contemplating that in cases where NGOs were involved in such activities, the funds will be stopped," she said, adding, "We are equally concerned about this".
The bench said that it would be better to have a proper monitoring system to check the day-to-day activities in such shelter homes run by NGOs.
The apex court also said that issuing advisory to the states would not serve the purpose as states might say that they would not follow it.
The bench said that stopping funds would perhaps not solve the problem too as it would be difficult to identify the institutions which were not being run properly.
Advocate Aparna Bhat, assisting the court as an amicus curiae, told the bench that no compensation has been paid to any of the girls who were allegedly raped and sexually abused in the shelter home at Muzaffarpur.
"One of these girls, perhaps a mentally challenged child, is missing," she said, adding that around 40 girls were rescued from the shelter home and they were placed in other shelter homes.
She also raised the issue of minor victims of sexual assaults being repeatedly interviewed and said this should not be allowed.
The bench asked, "is this report (social audit report of TISS) made public?"
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