Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: School Chairman And Secretary Seek Pre-Arrest Bail After POCSO Charges

Mumbai: The chairman and secretary of the school in Badlapur where two minor girls were sexually assaulted by a male attendant in August, have moved the Bombay High Court seeking pre-arrest bail. The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the case, has booked the two 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.

The two approached the HC after their pre-arrest bail was rejected by the special court in Thane. Justice RN Laddha, heard their matter briefly on Monday, and kept the pleas for hearing on October 1.

On August 12 and 13, two minor girls – aged four and five – were sexually abused inside the toilet of the school by a male attendant who was appointed on a contractual basis on August 1. The case was initially probed by the Badlapur police who registered the offence only on August 16.

Following a public outcry over serious lapses in the police investigation, the Maharashtra government set up a SIT to probe the case, headed by Inspector General Arti Singh.

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While the male attendant has been arrested, the school’s chairman and secretary have not yet been apprehended. Last month, the HC took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the incident and has been supervising the probe.