Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: School Trustees Arrested in Karjat Following Court Orders

Thane: In a significant development, two school trustees, Uday Kotwal (60) and Tushar Apte (57), were arrested on Wednesday by the Thane Crime Branch in connection with the sexual assault case involving two four-year-old girls in Badlapur. The arrests come after the Bombay High Court questioned the delay in taking action against the school authorities.

The incidents, which occurred on August 12 and 13, involved a school cleaner, Akshay Shinde, who assaulted the young girls at the school premises. The school trustees were informed of the assault by the principal but allegedly failed to report the crime to the police promptly, leading to their arrest under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act.

The Thane police, acting on a tip-off, apprehended Kotwal and Apte from Karjat in Raigad district after tracking their movements. They were handed over to the state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) for further questioning. Both trustees are expected to appear before the POCSO court in Kalyan.

The delay in reporting the crime and the tampering of school CCTV footage from mid-July to mid-August has raised questions about the trustees’ role in concealing the assault. Despite their claims that they only learned of the incident when the police contacted them, both Kotwal and Apte’s anticipatory bail pleas were rejected by the courts.

The main accused, Akshay Shinde, was arrested on August 17 but later killed in a police encounter. The case has drawn widespread protests, with accusations of negligence against the school management and claims of political connections shielding the trustees. The Bombay High Court’s recent order intensified the pressure on authorities to take swift action.

The investigation continues as the SIT works to determine the extent of the trustees’ involvement and whether more individuals from the school will face charges.

News by Prime Time Today