India News | Minor's Gang-rape in Lalitpur: SC Directs UP Govt to Respond on NGO's Plea

New Delhi, Aug 18 (PTI) The Supreme Court Thursday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file its reply on a PIL filed by NGO Bachpan Bachao Andolan in connection with the sexual assault of a minor girl at a police station after she was dumped by four youths who gang-raped her in Lalitpur district.

A bench of Justices Indira Banerjee and V Ramasubramanian, which had earlier issued notices to the Centre and Uttar Pradesh government, said it would hear the matter on August 24.

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"The Respondent-State of Uttar Pradesh shall file the counter affidavit," the bench said.

Senior advocate H S Phoolka, appearing for the NGO, submitted that a status report may be called from the UP government.

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The NGO approached the top court highlighting the rampant failure of the state authorities to implement the provisions of child-friendly and child protection legislation.

"The present petition also highlights the agony of a Dalit minor girl who was brutally gang raped and for five months the First Information Report was not registered.

"Not only did the Police Department fail to perform its cardinal duty to register an FIR for an offence of gang rape committed on her, but also traumatised and re-victimised the victim and her family by constantly threatening, intimidating them, and also raping the victim within the premises of Police Station, the plea said.

Earlier, the Station House Officer of the Pali police station was arrested on charges of raping a minor girl.

The 13-year-old girl was allegedly raped by four men over three days and was sexually assaulted again by the Station House Officer (SHO) of a police station where she had been left by her attackers, police said.

An FIR was lodged in the matter under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 363 (kidnapping), 376 (rape), 376 B (intercourse by public servant with woman in his custody), 120 B (conspiracy), and under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Act. PTI PKS

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)