Chairman and school secretary move Bombay HC on bail

Mumbai: The chairman and secretary of a school in Badlapur where a male student sexually assaulted two girls have approached the Bombay High Court seeking pre-arrest bail.

The couple were charged under relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act for not reporting the incident to the police immediately and for being negligent.

They turned to the Supreme Court after a special court denied them provisional release.

Their petitions were heard before a single-judge bench of Justice RN Laddha on Monday and the court scheduled the case for October 1.

Two girls, aged four and five, were sexually assaulted by a male lifeguard in the school's washroom last month. The accused was arrested.

Initially, the Badlapur police investigated the case, but the Maharashtra government set up a special investigation team after violent public protests against serious lapses in the police investigation.

While the male guard was arrested, the school's chairman and secretary have not yet been caught.

Last month, the Supreme Court took cognizance of the case on its own initiative and is monitoring the investigation.