FIR against AAP’s Saurabh Bharadwaj over disclosure of assault survivor’s identity

The alleged sexual assault of the nursery student came to light after her family approached the police earlier this month.

An FIR has been registered against Aam Aadmi Party’s Delhi unit president Saurabh Bharadwaj for allegedly disclosing the identity of a three-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted at a private school in west Delhi’s Janakpuri, police said.

AAP leader Saurabh Bharadwaj addresses a press conference in New Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/ HT Photo)

The case was registered at Janakpuri police station under Section 72 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Section 74 of the Juvenile Justice Act and Section 23(4) of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, all of which prohibit disclosure of the identity of a child victim.

The alleged sexual assault of the nursery student came to light after her family approached the police earlier this month.

On May 1, Delhi Police arrested the school’s 57-year-old caretaker after the child accused him of sexually assaulting her in the school basement on April 30. He was booked for rape under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and under Section 6 of the POCSO Act, which deals with aggravated penetrative sexual assault. A Dwarka court granted him bail on May 7.

Two weeks later, police also arrested a teacher in connection with the case.

Bharadwaj and other AAP supporters had staged protests demanding strict action against the accused and stronger safety measures in schools.

Police officials, however, said that disclosure of the identity of a child victim is a punishable offence and can attract criminal action regardless of the intent behind the disclosure.