A Delhi court has sentenced Brajesh Thakur and 11 others to life imprisonment for sexually and physically assaulting several girls in a shelter home in Bihar’s Muzaffarpur district. Additional Sessions Judge Saurabh Kulshreshtha pronounced the sentence today.

The CBI on February 4 sought life imprisonment till the remainder of life for Thakur, saying rape is a crime of lust and power and leniency should not be shown to the convicts as the victims in the case were minors.

The court had on January 20 convicted Thakur of several offenses including penetrative sexual assault under section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, and offenses of rape and gang rape under the Indian Penal code.

The matter had come to light on May 26, 2018, after Tata Institute of Social Sciences submitted a report to the Bihar government highlighting the alleged sexual abuse of girls in the shelter home for the first time.