Akshay Shinde, the sole accused in the Badlapur case of two minor girls has been placed under judicial custody by the Kalyan Sessions Court in Thane, lawyers informed today, Monday, August 26.
Shinde, 23, appeared in court under tight security after his second three-day police remand involving two nursery standard girls aged four and six who attend the Adarsh Vidya Prasarak Sanstha (AVPS) school. The two were allegedly molested in the school lavatory between August 12 and 13.
The accused was detained on August 17 and placed in police custody, which was prolonged on August 26, even as all lawyers in the Kalyan Bar Association have decided not to defend him in the case, which has sparked widespread national outrage, IANS reports.
Akshay Shinde appeared before Special Women Judge VA Patrawale, who heard the case after the Public Prosecutor notified him that charges under POCSO had been added to the case. The judge then ordered the accused to judicial prison for a fortnight.
The police have also charged the AVPS President, Secretary, and school principal in the same case.
In response to widespread public outcry and protests in Badlapur town on August 19, the Maharashtra government suspended the AVPS board of trustees, appointed an administrator to oversee operations temporarily, and established a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to look into the horrific allegations of double crime.
The government has also launched several other initiatives, such as the mandatory installation of CCTVs, the hiring of women-only support staff for toilets and changing areas, background checks on every new employee and so on.
