Bombay HC orders FSL to submit a report on CCTV footage and investigation in the Malad school minor sexual assault case within three weeks | Representational Image
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has directed the Forensics Science Laboratory to submit its report in three weeks after examining the hard disk collected from a school in Malad, where a “monster” had inappropriately touched a girl child aged three years and six months in a washroom when she was taken there by a female staff member, whom she called ‘didi’.
A bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela Gokhale passed the order while hearing a petition by the girl’s mother seeking the transfer of the investigation into the alleged sexual assault of her daughter from Bangur Nagar police station. She has accused the police of handling the case in an insensitive and lackadaisical manner.
The additional public prosecutor SS Kaushik told the court that the police had collected the entire hard disk from the school and sent it to the FSL, however, it may take some time for them to submit a report. Kaushik said that the hard disk has been sent for “verifying whether the same has been tampered with by the School Authorities or not”.
Considering the age of the girl, the HC has requested the FSL Authority to submit their report “as expeditiously as possible and in any event, within three weeks”.
Highlighting urgency in getting the FSL report, the HC emphasised: “It is only on receipt of the said report that certain other investigation can be done and hence, it is imperative that the said report is submitted at the earliest.”
Kaushik submitted that police had gone to record the statement of the victim girl at her residence, however, the victim girl’s parents did not cooperate. This was “vehemently refuted” by the mother’s advocate Hrishikesh Mundargi.
The HC has asked the police to “make another endeavour” to record the girl’s statement before the next date of hearing on April 15.
According to the petition, the child returned from school on February 13, complaining of pain in her genitals. Upon examination, her mother noticed redness. When asked, the minor described that a “monster” had touched her inappropriately in the school washroom.
The mother visited the school where her daughter attends daycare. The principal, along with the school nurse, also noted the redness. However, initial CCTV footage only showed common washroom areas and failed to clarify the incident.
She alleged that when she went to lodge an FIR, the officers attempted to dissuade her from filing a complaint, questioning the reliability of a child’s testimony. After persistent efforts, the FIR was finally registered, and the child was taken to Cooper Hospital, where a medical examination further indicated possible sexual assault.
