Muzaffarpur shelter home ‘survivor’ turns hostile in court

The alleged survivor, who is one of the prosecution witnesses in the case, was declared hostile before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha, after she failed to recognise two of the accused, the court sources said.

A purported survivor in the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual assault case has turned hostile before a Delhi court, sources said on Tuesday.

The court has recorded the statements of 12 victims, who are also prosecution’s witnesses in the case.(HT Photo)

The alleged survivor, who is one of the prosecution witnesses in the case, was declared hostile before Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha, after she failed to recognise two of the accused, the court sources said. The proceedings are being conducted in-camera. Meanwhile, advocate Pramod Kumar Dubey, appearing for the accused, Brajesh Thakur, claimed that the CBI was tutoring the witnesses.

The court has recorded the statements of 12 victims, who are also prosecution’s witnesses in the case.

On March 30, the court framed charges, including criminal conspiracy to commit rape, against 21 accused and put them on trial. Besides rape and criminal conspiracy, the court also framed charges under various sections of the Pocso (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act. Thakur, a strongman in Muzaffarpur, was charged with serious charges under Pocso Act, including Section 6 (aggravated sexual assault).