NEW DELHI: The Bombay High Court on Monday said that the trial in last year’s Badlapur school sexual assault case should be fast-tracked and conducted expeditiously as the victim girls are very young.
In August last year, a male attendant sexually assaulted two girls, aged four and five, in the toilet of their school in the Badlapur area of Maharashtra’s Thane district.
The attendant was arrested but later killed in a police encounter while being transported from jail for questioning.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) established by the Maharashtra government to investigate the case has submitted its chargesheet. The chargesheet names the attendant, the school’s headmaster, and two members of its management for failing to report the sexual assault, as required under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.
The High Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the incident after it emerged that the local Badlapur police had delayed lodging a First Information Report (FIR).
On Monday, public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar informed the bench, comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale, that the investigation was complete, the chargesheet had been filed, and the trial was set to proceed.
The court stressed the importance of expediting the trial, stating, “The case will have to be fast-tracked and conducted expeditiously as the victim girls are of a very young age.”
The court also noted that, as mandated under the POCSO Act, a female prosecutor would need to be present when the girls are examined. Venegaonkar confirmed that a female prosecutor had been appointed to assist the special public prosecutor in the case.
The bench scheduled the matter for further hearing on 20th January, by which time the prosecution is expected to provide an update on the progress of the trial.
Last year, the bench had also directed the formation of an expert committee to assess the safety of children in schools and other educational institutions. Venegaonkar informed the court on Monday that the committee had not yet submitted its report.
The High Court directed that if the report is completed by the next hearing date, it must be presented to the court.
Additionally, Venegaonkar noted that, as per the Maharashtra government’s policy, the victims’ education would be free of cost up to Class 8, and a proposal had been made to extend this benefit to Classes 9 and 10 as well.
The High Court will also hear, on 20th January, a petition filed by the father of the deceased attendant, alleging that his son was killed in a staged police encounter.