SC agrees to hear plea alleging custodial torture and sexual assault of minor in Gujarat’s Botad

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to urgently list for hearing a plea alleging custodial torture and sexual assault of a 17-year-old boy by Botad Town Police Station officials in Gujarat.

After the matter was mentioned, Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai directed that it be listed for hearing on Monday (September 15). As per the writ petition filed by the minor’s sister, he was picked up by the police on August 19 over allegations of theft of gold and cash. Instead of being produced before the Juvenile Justice Board or a magistrate within 24 hours, the boy was illegally detained and tortured for nearly 10 days, claimed the petition.

“While in illegal custody, the petitioner’s brother was brutally beaten by four to six police officers at Botad Town Police Station and subjected to sexual assault through the insertion of sticks into his anus,” it stated.

The plea further stated that the police failed to conduct a mandatory medical examination and instead pressured family members to sign false statements that the child had fallen off a bicycle.

The boy was later admitted to Zydus Hospital in Ahmedabad, where he remains in the ICU undergoing dialysis due to kidney damage allegedly caused by the custodial assault. He has also suffered temporary loss of eyesight, seizures, and bowel incontinence.

The petition described his condition as an egregious violation of fundamental rights, including the right to live with dignity, personal liberty, and life. The plea sought the constitution of a court-monitored Special Investigation Team (SIT) or, alternatively, a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under the supervision of the apex court. Despite a representation filed by an NGO, Minority Coordination Committee Gujarat, on September 5 demanding suspension of the police officers and registration of an FIR, the state government has allegedly taken “no action thus far.”

IANS