By IANS,
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Wednesday dismissed a plea of an orphanage, where sexual assault and harassment of children allegedly occurred, seeking the court’s direction to restrain the government from setting up any probe committee.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw said that it will not interfere in the matter and refused to pass any order on a plea of the privately-run orphanage in central Delhi.
“If you want to challenge the notification, then file an appropriate writ petition,” said the court.
The Arya Orphanage had moved the court against the Delhi government’s Feb 25 notification setting a probe panel to enquire into the allegations.
Orphanage administrator P.P. Dhal, who was summoned by the court, Wednesday informed it that he has offered his resignation as he has already been assigned nine other charges.
The Delhi government had appointed the administrator Feb 13 after media reports camme of sexual assault and harassment of children at the orphanage in the Daryaganj area.
V.P. Chaudhary, president of the Arya Orphanage, had earlier pleaded before the high court that it should restrain the government from setting up any other committee as the children were traumatised after people visited the home and questioned them.
“More than 1,600 children have been staying here and due to some stray incidents the whole organisation cannot be blacklisted,” he said.
Earlier, the official administrator submitted a status report to the court that recommended a stop on fresh admissions to the orphanage as the residential accommodation was not adequate.
The report also said that the orphanage does not have proficiently qualified officer-in-charge and counsellors.
Taking suo moto cognizance of media reports, the court had sought a report from the administrator appointed by Delhi’s lt. governor to look into the allegations by Feb 22.
The report given to court alleged that the older residents and the staff members subjected a number of children to physical abuse and sexual assault.
NGO Haq Foundation, in its report, based on personal interviews and interactions with children of the orphanage, said that the older residents and the staff members including the warden subjected a number of children to physical abuse and sexual assault.