Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday issued notices to five employees of a shelter home, who are accused of sexually abusing minor inmates after taking suo moto (on its own) cognisance to quash and set aside a lower court order granting them bail.
A division bench of Chief Justice Mohit Shah and Justice M S Sanklecha had yesterday expressed its displeasure over the lower court granting bail to the accused persons considering the gravity of the case and that the high court has expedited trials in such cases.
The court was hearing a suo moto petition based on news-reports on alleged sexual abuse of 35 minor girls at a Nashik shelter home.
Advocate General Darius Khambata today suggested the bench to take up the matter suo moto.
Agreeing to this the bench issued notices to the five accused and directed for them to be included as respondents in the petition. The matter has been posted for hearing on Thursday.
Khambata informed the court that the charge sheet in the case would be filed within a few weeks and the police was also planning to file an application seeking cancellation of the bail.
He also informed the bench that the public prosecutor appearing in the case before the lower court had opposed the bail plea of the accused stating that they have been charged on serious offences.
PTI
