Madurai: The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court on Wednesday directed the CBI to investigate into allegations of human trafficking and abuse of 89 girl children who stayed in an unregistered orphanage home run by German pastor couple at Tiruchy.
The bench comprising Justice V. Ramasubramanian and N. Kirubakaran directed the CBI to immediately depute a special team headed by Deputy Superintendent of Police specialised in anti-human trafficking issues, to enquire of the nurses and doctors in hospitals in Usilampatti to ascertain the methods adopted by the home called Mose Ministries to procure the children.
Justice Ramasubramanian also asked the central agency to take the assistance from National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore to provide counseling and liberate the children suffering from a syndrome similar to ‘Stockholm Syndrome’. “After providing counseling to the children, the team shall look into the other allegation of abuse,” the judge said.
As many parents have petitioned the district collector Tiruchy claiming ownership of these children, the court also directed the CBI to conduct DNA tests to ascertain the parentage of the children.
Though the advocate D. Geeta who appeared for the petitioner A. Narayanan of NGO - Change India, sought CBI inquiry in the beginning itself, the bench had waited still now to take a decision because they were concerned about the state of mind of the children.
The court had earlier constituted a committee to rehabilitate and integrate the inmates with the society based on an inspection report submitted by the I Additional District Judge Deepthi Arivumuthi.
The decision now to order to CBI was prompted after the court suspected the veracity of the affidavit filed on behalf of Mose Ministries claiming that all the inmates now available with them were left at their doorsteps without any clue about their parentage.
“Moreover the refusal of the inmates of the home to hand over a very important register or notings (as the institution choose to call it) to the committee appointed by this court and the sudden disappearance of the same, raises serious doubts and casts a shadow of suspicion. Therefore it is high time we appoint a specialised agency to investigate the allegations of trafficking and abuse,” said Ramasubramanian.
