File photo of police personnel outside the Badlpaur school where two minors were allegedly sexually abused.
Credit: PTI File Photo
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday slammed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing into the sensational Badlapur sexual assault case for being unable to track down the two trustees of the school.
A division bench of the Bombay High Court comprising Justice Revati Mohite-Dere and Justice Prithviraj Chavan, which had taken up the issue suo moto, asked as to how the police that usually go to any extent to nab an accused, are unable to arrest them in this case.
“How come these two people are not nabbed by now? Are you waiting for the anticipatory bail to be granted?" the court noted during the hearing.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf informed the court that two chargesheets had been filed in connection with the case involving the sexual assault of two girls, aged three and five, in the washroom of the school in Badlapur.
In the case, the janitor Akshay Shinde (24) was arrested, however, he was shot dead in an encounter by a police escort team during a scuffle when he managed to grab the pistol of a police personal and opened fire.
“The trustees of the school had approached the Bombay High Court seeking anticipatory bail after they had been denied the same by the lower court,” said Saraf.
Court denies anticipatory bail to chairman, secretary
In a related development, the Bombay High Court denied anticipatory bail to the chairman and secretary of the Badlapur school, where two minor girls were sexually assaulted in August.
Justice RN Laddha refused pre-arrest bail to them after the two accused moved the Bombay High Court against a Kalyan Sessions Court order, which had rejected anticipatory bail.
"The victims are minors. The trauma that they have endured can profoundly affect their adolescent years leaving them with lasting psychological scars," the court said, adding: “There is prima facie material indicating that the victims parents' had voiced their grievances to the class teacher and other staff members. The applicants were aware of the incident before August 16. Despite having knowledge, they did not report the matter to the police.”