Today, Tuesday, October 1, the Bombay High Court (HC) expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) investigating the Badlapur school sexual assault case, criticising their inability to apprehend the two school trustees accused in the case, according to a report by PTI.
A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan questioned why the police, who usually go to great lengths to arrest suspects, have failed to capture the accused trustees in this instance.
The court had taken suo motu cognisance of the case in August.
The incident involved the sexual assault of two young girls, aged four and five, inside a school washroom in Badlapur, a town in Maharashtra's Thane district, by a male attendant. The accused, Akshay Shinde, was later implicated in the crime. He was killed by the police during a shootout on September 23.
In August, the Maharashtra government formed an SIT, headed by an officer of Inspector General rank, to investigate the sexual abuse of the two students. Two trustees of the school, including the chairman and secretary, were named as accused.
The trustees have been charged under several sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for failing to report the crime promptly and for their negligence in the matter.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf informed the court that despite efforts, the two accused trustees remain at large and have yet to be apprehended.
The trustees have applied for anticipatory bail in the high court.
“The police goes 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 questioned.
Saraf assured the bench that the police were taking all necessary measures to capture the suspects. The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 23.
