Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday gave an earful to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Badlapur school sexual assault case, for its inability to apprehend the two accused school trustees. A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan questioned how the police, who usually go to any extent to nab an accused, are unable to arrest them in this case. The court in August took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the case.
Two girls - aged four and five - were sexually assaulted inside the washroom of a school in Badlapur town of Maharashtra's Thane district by a male attendant. The accused, Akshay Shinde, was subsequently arrested. He was killed by police in a shoot-out on September 23. The Maharashtra government in August said an SIT, headed by an Inspector General of Police-rank officer, will probe the alleged sexual abuse of two female students of the school in Badlapur.
Two trustees of the school - the chairman and secretary- were also named as accused in the case. The duo has been booked under various provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for not reporting the incident to the police immediately and for negligence. Advocate General Birendra Saraf informed the bench that the two accused are still absconding and have not been apprehended.
The duo has filed for anticipatory bail in the HC. "The police go to any extent to nab an accused. How come they have not been able to apprehend these two? Are they waiting for them to get anticipatory bail?" the court said. Saraf said the police were taking all steps to apprehend the duo. The court posted the matter for further hearing on October 23.
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