Badlapur sexual abuse: HC seeks Maharashtra govt's response to suspended education officer's plea

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday directed the Maharashtra government to respond to a plea filed by an education officer from Thane district seeking a stay on his suspension following the alleged sexual abuse of two girls at a school in Badlapur.

The officer, Balasaheb Rakshe, urged the high court to stay the suspension order pending a final hearing of his petition before the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT), which refused him interim relief on August 26.

He requested the high court to restrain the state government from appointing any other officer in the post.

Rakshe moved the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on his suspension order, claiming the government order was "politically motivated" and he had been made a "scapegoat".

A division bench of Justices A S Chandurkar and Rajesh Patil directed the government to file an affidavit by September 6 when it would hear the plea.

Rakshe's advocate, S B Talekar, sought the court to order a status quo until then, but the court said it would consider the same in the next hearing.

Talekar argued that there was no misconduct on Rakshe's part and that the government merely wanted to save its face after the Badlapur incident.

Two kindergarteners were sexually abused by a male attendant inside a school in Badlapur.

"The petitioner (Rakshe) has been made a scapegoat. The government made a statement first before the media that two education officers have been suspended and then issued the suspension order," the lawyer said.

Rakshe had first approached MAT for interim relief for a stay on the suspension order, which he claimed was arbitrary, discriminatory and malafide.

However, when the tribunal refused to pass any order granting him interim relief, Rakshe approached the high court earlier this week.

The suspension order was "politically motivated", and he was being made a "scapegoat" in the entire episode, his plea stated.

Rakshe claimed he found out about the sexual abuse on August 18, and promptly contacted the Ambernath block education officer, asking him to visit the school in Badlapur, conduct an enquiry, and submit a report.

The block education officer submitted a report on August 20, and Rakshe issued a show cause notice to the school president, secretary and headmaster.

The notice sought the school's explanation about defunct CCTV cameras on its premises, the plea stated.

Rakshe said he had forwarded the enquiry report to the director of education (primary) in Pune and the deputy director of education (primary) in Mumbai.

"On August 21, a committee of administrators was set up to manage the school in Badlapur. The petitioner also directed the headmasters of all primary, secondary and higher secondary schools to install CCTVs, complaint boxes, and a students' safety committee," the plea said.

Despite taking these measures, the Minister for School Education announced in the media that the education officer of Thane (Rakshe) has been placed under suspension, he stated.

"The petitioner is placed under suspension despite the fact that he is in no way concerned with the regulation and supervision of pre-primary centres," the plea said.