Badlapur accused custodial death: HC asks state for information on steps it intends to take based on ‘false encounter’ report

The HC had then directed the state to register FIR against officers based on findings of the magistrate and begin further proceedings. The officers concerned included senior police inspector Sanjay Shinde (Thane Crime Branch), assistant police inspector Nilesh More, head constables Abhijeet More and Harish Tawade and the driver Satish Ramnath Khatal with constable rank.

On Monday, a bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Neela K Gokhale was informed by additional public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde that the report has been placed before the state CID chief.

Posting the hearing to Thursday, February 6, to enable Public Prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar to respond to its queries, the bench orally said, “You (state) will have to make a statement what you intend to do on the basis of the report.”

Meanwhile, the four of five police officers have also filed an intervention application in plea by the father of the deceased that sought an SIT inquiry into his son’s custodial death.

The police officers claimed that as the father has made several allegations against them, they should be heard by the court and the copy of the inquiry report be made available to them.

The 23-year-old janitor arrested in August last year for the alleged sexual assault of two minor girls at a school in Badlapur in Thane district was shot dead while he was being transported in a police vehicle on September 23 last year. The police had claimed he was killed in retaliation after he snatched an officer’s service weapon and fired three rounds, injuring an officer.

The HC will hear the father’s plea on February 6.

The HC, during the hearing on February 5 on suo motu PIL initiated after taking cognisance of the August, 2024 incident, will peruse a report of committee formed based on the court’s directives to recommend safety measures in schools in the state.