Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: Bombay HC demands action against police officers for lapses in investigation | File Photo
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the State government what action it proposes to take against the police officers attached with the Badlapur police for lapses in registering FIR and investigating the sexual assault case involving two minors inside the school premises there.
A bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale asked the State to inform on the next date of hearing, which is after three weeks, the proposed action. “File affidavit regarding action taken against the concerned police officers,” the bench said.
Advocate for one of the victims urged the court to direct authorities to initiate criminal proceedings against the policemen concerned. He pointed out that the disciplinary proceedings are complete which has found them guilty. However, the court did not pass any order to the effect.
During an earlier hearing, State Advocate General Birendra Saraf had informed the bench that departmental inquiry was initiated against the police officers and one officer has been found guilty of dereliction of duty. He had also said that the file had been sent to the police commissioner for necessary action.
The HC, last year, had directed setting up of a committee of experts to examine the safety of children in schools and other educational institutions. The committee was asked to submit a report of its recommendations.
On Wednesday, additional public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde said that due to some difficulty the committee was unable to submit the report and sought three more weeks for the same.
Two minor girls were sexually assaulted inside the school toilet by a male attendant on August 12 and 13, 2024. He was arrested but later killed in a police shootout when he was being taken by the police from jail for questioning.
The Special Investigation (SIT), probing the case, has filed the chargesheet naming the attendant. The chargesheet has also named the school’s headmaster and two members of the management for “failing to report” the sexual assault, as required under the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The HC had taken suo motu cognisance of the issue after the people in Badlapur protested on the streets and staged a rail blockade after the police and the school failed to attend against the culprit.
Akshay Shinde, 24, was arrested in August 2024 for the alleged sexual assault on the minors. He worked as an attendant at the school. On September 23, while being transported from Taloja prison to the police station for questioning, Shinde was killed in a purported scuffle. The police claimed he snatched a constable’s pistol and opened fire, injuring an officer, prompting Senior Inspector Sanjay Shinde to retaliate with fatal shots.
