Thane School Case: The Bombay High Court has taken suo moto notice of the alleged sexual assault of of two young girls at a kindergarten in Badlapur, Thane district of Maharashtra. The court questioned, "If schools are not safe, what is the point of discussing the right to education?"

The judges, Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Prithivraj Chavan, strongly criticised the local police for their failure to register a case against the school authorities, despite complaints from the victims. 

According to the Bar And Bench report, the court questioned whether the girls had reported their complaints to school authorities, to which it was confirmed that they had. The judges reminded Advocate General Birendra Saraf, representing the state government, that under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, school authorities can be implicated for failing to report such crimes.

Saraf informed the court that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed to handle the case. However, the judges were unconvinced, stating, "A case against the school should have been filed as soon as the FIR was registered.”

The High Court also inquired whether the victims had received any counselling to help them cope with their trauma. They stressed that attention must be focused on the well-being of the girls: "We want to know if the state government has arranged counselling for the victims."

Further, the court demanded information about the timeline of the investigation, including when the SIT was established and why the local police had not shared all relevant documents with the team. It questioned why the second girl was not named in the FIR, even though she was mentioned in the statement from the first girl's parents.

The judges expressed frustration over the police's investigation efforts, asking, "Why did Badlapur Police fail to provide the complete record to the SIT? What facts are you hiding from us?"

In response, Saraf asserted that all necessary documents had been handed over to the SIT and stated that the second girl's statement was to be recorded that same day. The court insisted, "We expect you not only to record the statements of the girls but also to include those of their families. We want to review the case files by the next hearing date."

The judges scheduled the next hearing for Tuesday, clearly indicating to Saraf, "You have many answers to provide regarding the investigation conducted by Badlapur police."

The assaults on the minors have led to widespread protests in Badlapur and other areas, particularly in light of the recent incidents at RG Kar Hospital in Kolkata. Amid public outcry, a 23-year-old school janitor was arrested in connection with the assaults. There has been additional outrage over the parents’ experience of waiting 11 hours to file a police report, resulting in the suspension of three police officers involved in the case.

Maharashtra's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has promised that strict action will be taken against the school, stating that the case will be expedited and no guilty party will escape justice. In a bid to enhance safety, the state government has mandated that all schools install CCTV cameras within a month. Failure to comply could lead to the revocation of the school’s operating licence.

Furthermore, the regulations stipulate that the CCTV footage must be examined at least three times a week. It will be the principal’s responsibility to contact the police if any suspicious activity is recorded on the cameras.