New Delhi:  The Delhi Government on Monday appointed an administrator at a privately-run orphanage where a number of children were allegedly sexually abused.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Kiran Walia said senior official P P Dhal has been appointed as administrator at the Arya Orphanage in Central Delhi to oversee its functioning.

"We have appointed the administrator as there has been allegations of sexual abuse on children in the orphanage," she said after a high-level meeting which discussed the issue.

Walia said the orphanage has not been registered with the government under the Juvenile Justice Act and so it was not possible to take punitive action against it.

"We will write to the central government to frame policy so that no unregistered orphanage can operate," she said adding Child Welfare Committee was also looking at condition of the children in the orphanage.

Meanwhile, an official of the orphanage termed the allegations as baseless and said a conspiracy has been hatched
to malign the image of the institution.

"We demand a probe by a retired judge of High Court into the matter," said Nitiya Chaudhury of Arya Orphanage.

Tags: abuse at orphanage, Arya Orphanage, Kiran Walia, P P Dhal