The chairman and secretary of the Badlapur school, where two minor students were allegedly sexually molested last month, approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail in the case.
The two school management members, who are under investigation and are still on the run, went to court after a special court appointed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act in Kalyan rejected their pre-arrest bail plea earlier this month. .
The petition came up before a single judge of Justice Rajesh N Laddha, who posted the matter for hearing on October 1.
The two have been named as suspects and charged under Sections 65(2), 74, 75 and 76 of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita and Sections 2, 4, 8, 10 and 21 of the POCSO Act, 2012, for failing to report the incident to the police as per – POCSO Act.
After the Bombay High Court initiated a suo motu PIL in the Badlapur sexual harassment case and took up the matter, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case included the names of the school principal, teacher, and management members in an FIR for “failure to report” sexual harassment, as required under the POCSO Act.
The HC also expressed displeasure with the investigation as fugitive suspects linked to the school management are still at large and said the investigation must be “watertight, proper, and consistent.”
Last week, the chairman and secretary of a Badlapur school were charged in a case of “failure to report” sexual harassment as required under the POCSO Act.
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