The Bombay High Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the sexual assault of minor girls in a Badlapur school, harshly criticised the police and school administration during a hearing on Thursday. The court condemned the delay in reporting the incident to the police and the registration of the FIR. It expressed shock that the police recorded the statement of the second victim’s parent only after the court intervened. The court also rebuked the police for their lack of seriousness in a case where minors were sexually assaulted in a place that should be safe for students.

During the hearing before the bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan, the state was represented by Advocate General Birendra Saraf. The court was informed that the incident occurred on August 12 and 13, but the FIR was only registered on August 16. The bench inquired whether the statements of the minor girls had been recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC before a magistrate. The court was shocked to learn that only one girl’s statement had been recorded by the police, and the statement before the magistrate was still pending. It was also revealed that the statement of the second girl’s parent was recorded only after the court took suo motu cognisance of the case.