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‘Bete ko padhao, beti ko bachao’: Bombay HC on Badlapur sexual assault case
The Bombay High Court told Badlapur police to build a “watertight” case in the sexual assault of two girls and avoid rushing the charge sheet.
The Bombay High Court on Tuesday told the police team investigating the sexual assault of two girls at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur to build a “watertight” case and avoid filing a charge sheet hastily under public pressure.
A division bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan stressed the importance of raising awareness among boys. Justice Dere, while altering a government slogan remarked, “It’s crucial to educate boys—'Bete ko padhao, beti ko bachao' (teach the boy, protect the girl).”
Last month the bench took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of the incident after two four-year-old girls were sexually assaulted inside the washroom of the school by a male attendant.
Advocate General Birendra Saraf, representing the government, informed the court during Tuesday's hearing that a chargesheet would be filed soon.
The bench observed that a special investigation team (SIT) was constituted because the local police had not properly investigated the case and “there was a strong public outcry.”
“This is a larger issue. This case will set a precedent for all such cases in future. Public is watching and what message we are giving is important,” the court said.
“Don't file the chargesheet hurriedly. There is still time. Don't go by public pressure. Investigation has to be done properly before chargesheet is filed. Before the chargesheet is filed, ensure everything is in order. Make a watertight case,” said the judges.
The court also rapped the SIT on the knuckles for the "stereotypical" manner in which the case diary was maintained. “Is this a manner in which case diary is maintained? Is it a modus operandi to write a case diary in stereotypical manner by the investigating officer?” the HC asked.
Every step of the probe has to be mentioned in the case diary, the judges said, saying that details were not mentioned in the diary. The purpose of writing a case diary is defeated when it is written in this way, and it actually reflects the shoddy probe of this case, it added.
With PTI inputs
