Lawyers urge Bombay High Court to take cognizance of sexual assault on minors in Badlapur school

Two lawyers on Tuesday evening urged the Bombay High Court to take suo moto cognizance of the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls in Thane district's Badlapur, and the violent protests that followed. .Advocates Ajinkya Gaikwad and Santosh Garud mentioned the matter before Justice Bharati Dangre but the single-judge suggested that the matter should be mentioned before an appropriate bench and not before a single-judge. The matter was brought to the attention of Justice Dangre by Gaikwad. "It is to bring to your attention a matter of grave importance. It is regarding an FIR in a POCSO case wherein the victims were two kindergarten students. At present, there are violent protests in Badlapur," he said..Justice Dangre questioned the relevance of raising such an issue before a single-judge and also questioned the locus of the lawyer."Who are you, are you the accused? What are you filing, what are the proceedings?" When Gaikwad urged the court to take suo moto cognizance, Justice Dangre responded, "Not this bench. How can a single bench?", she said, suggesting that the matter should rightfully go before a division bench..The case involves the sexual assault of two kindergarten students, aged three and four, by a 23-year-old male school attendant, Akshay Shinde, who was employed as a cleaning staff member on a contractual basis from August 1 in a school in Thane’s Badlapur. .The incident occurred in the school’s toilet where Shinde allegedly assaulted the girls. The crime came to light when one of the victims complained of pain and disclosed the abuse to her parents. A local doctor later confirmed the assault on both girls..Following the revelation, enraged parents and local residents stormed the school on Tuesday, vandalising the property in protest. The demonstrations escalated as protesters disrupted train services at Badlapur railway station from 8:30 am, with some resorting to stone pelting. Police eventually brought the situation under control..In the aftermath, the school management suspended the principal, a class teacher and a female attendant. The Maharashtra government also took swift action, ordering the suspension of three police officials, including a senior police inspector, for their alleged negligence in investigating the case. .The Chief Minister's Office (CMO) reportedly issued a stern warning, indicating that legal action would be taken if the school management is found negligent. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde too reportedly instructed the Thane Police Commissioner to expedite the investigation and called for a review to ensure that Sakhi Savitri committees, which aim to protect students, are established in all schools..In response to the incident, the government has reportedly proposed several measures to enhance school safety, including installation of complaint boxes in every school and stricter scrutiny of staff who have regular interactions with students. Additionally, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been set up to probe the case.