WCD officer case: Delhi High Court seeks protection for minor rape victim

The Delhi high court on Thursday directed the state government to grant protection to the 17-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by suspended Delhi women and child development (WCD) department official Premoday Khakha, and her mother so that they can safely attend the anticipatory bail proceedings of Khakha’s daughter and his son.

Read here: Police probe if Delhi WCD official’s son also assaulted minor girl

Taking note of the submissions by the victim’s mother, a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Sanjeev Narula asked the counsel for the Delhi government to ensure they are protected.

“On any date she has to appear in the court, you just ensure that she comes under some escort...Mother and daughter. Whenever she comes to the court, they are protected. You please ensure…. We are not observing anything in the order,” the court told the counsel.

A high court bench of Saurabh Banerjee is currently hearing the anticipatory bail pleas filed by Khakha’s daughter Prateeksha, 19, and son Harsh Prateek, 21.

Khakha, 51, was arrested in August this year for repeatedly raping the minor girl in his care multiple times at his residence in Burari between November 2020 and January 2021. When she became pregnant on January 21, 2021, she informed Khakha’s wife Seema Rani about it who gave her abortion pills. Both Khakha and his wife are currently in judicial custody.

The high court, on August 28, had stressed on providing due protection along with compensation to the survivor. It had also tasked the WCD department with framing standard operating procedures (SOP) to be followed in sexual abuse cases involving children.

On Thursday, the counsel for WCD department apprised the bench of the consultations that it had with the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) on September 22 over the SOP.

Read here: Delhi WCD minister seeks report on old complaints against rape-accused Khakha

“...we have requested for three weeks to finalise and present it before your lordships to hear everyone...,” the counsel said. The bench granted the state government three weeks to finalise the same and listed the matter for November 10.