A Special Judge, dealing with the Prevention of Corruption Act cases, in Rajasthan’s Bharatpur city has been suspended after a first information report was registered against him and two others on charges of sexually assaulting a minor boy. An Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) officer was also suspended for allegedly threatening the 14-year-old.
The Rajasthan High Court issued orders late on Sunday night placing Jitendra Singh, who is of the District Judge cadre, under suspension with immediate effect pending preliminary enquiry and the contemplated departmental inquiry. The judge’s headquarter was shifted to Jaipur during the suspension period.
In a complaint lodged with the police, the boy’s mother alleged that Mr. Singh and two other persons had been sexually assaulting her son for the last one month after intoxicating him with a narcotic substance. The judge and the two other accused had threatened the boy of implicating his family in false cases if he spoke about the assault to anyone, according to the complaint.
Mr. Singh allegedly befriended the boy at the District Club in Bharatpur, where he used to go to play tennis. He allegedly took the boy to his residence and had unnatural sex with him several times. The matter came to light when the minor told his mother about his ‘molestation’ last week.
The other accused were identified as Anshul Soni, the judge’s stenographer, and Rahul Katara, another staff of the anti-corruption court. The FIR has been registered at the Mathura Gate police station under Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the Indian Penal Code and the relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
ACB Circle Officer suspended
The victim’s family members also alleged that ACB Circle Officer Parmeshwar Lal Yadav had threatened to kill the boy. The Home Department has placed Mr. Yadava under suspension as per the Rajasthan Civil Services (Classification, Control and Appeal) Rules, 1958.
A video of Mr. Singh apologising to the boy and his mother has gone viral on social media in Bharatpur. While the police will verify the video with its forensic examination during the investigation, the judge has lodged a counter-complaint against the boy’s mother and her family, accusing them of blackmailing and extortion.
Rajasthan State Commission for Protection of Child Rights chairperson Sangeeta Beniwal has sought a factual report about the incident from the Bharatpur Superintendent of Police and asked the authorities to carry out an impartial probe. The boy’s medical examination was conducted and his statement before the Child Welfare Committee was to be recorded shortly.
