Thane: Bombay High Court Urges Expedited Trial in Badlapur Sexual Assault Case Involving Young Victims

Thane, 14th January 2025: The Bombay High Court stated on Monday that due to the young age of the victims in the Badlapur sexual assault case, it is crucial to expedite the trial proceedings.

This announcement followed the public prosecutor’s update that the investigation had been completed and the chargesheet filed, paving the way for the trial to begin.

The bench, comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela K. Gokhale, was addressing a suo motu public interest litigation initiated after becoming aware of media reports concerning the assault of two four-year-old girls by a school cleaning staff in Badlapur, Thane, in August 2024.

The case has been transferred to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the state police.

In a recent development, the state government told the High Court that the Senior Police Inspector from the Badlapur police station had been suspended for neglecting his duties by delaying the filing of the FIR related to this case.

On Monday, Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar informed the bench that the trial is set to begin since the chargesheet is now filed. The bench emphasized that “the case must be fast-tracked and conducted promptly as the victim girls are very young.”

Additionally, Venegaonkar mentioned that in compliance with the POCSO Act, a female prosecutor has been assigned to support the special prosecutor during the examination of the victims.

The court also noted that according to the state government’s policy, the girls’ education will be provided free of charge until Class 8, with a proposal in place to extend this benefit to Classes 9 and 10 as well.

Furthermore, the High Court requested the state attorney to submit a report by January 20 detailing the recommendations from a court-appointed committee of experts tasked with assessing child safety in schools.

On January 20, the High Court will also consider a petition from the father of the deceased accused, who is seeking an SIT inquiry into his son’s death while in custody.