Fantastic, says Supreme Court on missing ex-Bihar minister Manju Verma. It’s a stinker

The Bihar government had earlier told the court that Manju Verma, who resigned in the wake of the shelter home sexual abuse scandal, could not be traced by police.

The Supreme Court has summoned Bihar DGP to explain the state police’s failure to arrest former state minister Manju Verma in a case related to the recovery of ammunition from her home during a CBI raid in connection with the Muzaffarpur shelter home sexual abuse scandal.

Manju Verma addresses a press after resigning as Bihar social welfare minister over the allegations against her husband, who is accused of his links with the Muzaffarpur shelter rape case, in Patna, Aug 8, 2018. (PTI Photo)

Expressing shock over the non-arrest, justice Madan B Lokur said, “Fantastic! Cabinet minister (Manju Verma) on the run, fantastic. How could it happen that cabinet minister is absconding and nobody knows where she is? You realise the seriousness of the issue that cabinet minister is not traceable. It’s too much,” according to news agency ANI.

The Bihar government had earlier told the court that Verma, who resigned in the wake of the shelter home sexual abuse scandal, could not be traced by police. A probe had revealed that her husband had spoken to the prime accused in the case, Brajesh Thakur, 17 times between January and June.

An FIR was registered against Verma and her husband under the arms act in August following the recovery of 50 cartridges from their Begusarai residence, owned by the former minister’s in-laws, during a raid by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the case.

Verma had filed an anticipatory bail petition in the Supreme Court, but was neither arrested nor has she surrendered.

The court has also asked the state chief secretary to appear before it to explain the mismanagement of shelter homes. It fixed the next date of hearing in the case on November 27.