"We welcome Court's decision", says Maharashtra Congress' Nana Patole on Bombay HC taking Suo Motu cognizance of Badlapur assault

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 22 (ANI): Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Thursday welcomed the decision of the High Court taking Suo Motu cognizance of Badlapur sexual assault.
He said, "I welcome the decision of the court. We are expecting the High Court to hear the Suo Moto cognizance the way the Supreme Court heard in the case of Kolkata rape and murder case".
When asked about the SIT investigation, he said "SIT is led by IPS Arti Singh and we doubt her. The government-appointed advocate to represent the case in the fast track court is already a member of the BJP".
"We demand to change both of them", he added
He added, "Congress demands that the culprits should be punished severely".
Meanwhile, Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday condemned the alleged sexual assault of two girls at a school in Badlapur and said that the accused should be punished in a way that others also feel scared before doing such things.
Speaking to the media after visiting Malad Chinchvali Marathi School, Goyal said, "This is a very unfortunate incident. I strongly condemn it. The accused in this case should face the harshest action as soon as possible. They should be punished in such a way that other people also feel scared before doing such things."
"Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis, and Ajit Pawar have taken full cognizance of the incident. I have full faith that the culprits will be punished through the fast-track court," he added.
Amid violent protests in Maharashtra, the Bombay High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of the alleged sexual assault of two girls at a school in Badlapur. The matter is being heard today, on Thursday, by a division bench of Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice Prithviraj Chavan.
The alleged sexual assault of two fourth-grade girls at a school in Maharashtra's Badlapur has sparked outrage. On August 17 police arrested an attendant of the school for allegedly abusing the girls. This incident has created massive outrage among the people in Badlapur.
Meanwhile, the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) has recommended the establishment of special branches or "mini-police stations" for women and children in every police station across the state.
This development came in the wake of an alleged delay in registering the crime by the police in Badlapur. Chairperson Susieben Shah shared a detailed plan in this regard during a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Addressing the press conference, Shah said, "Currently, police stations have Women's Help Desks, Special Juvenile Police Units, and Child Welfare Police Officers. However, these units are not dedicated solely to addressing complaints from women and children, often leading to the unavailability of trained personnel when needed. Officers in these units are frequently assigned to other duties, causing delays in registering and investigating complaints."
She said that the Crime Branch units in police stations are exclusively reserved for investigating crimes, ensuring that officers are not diverted to other duties and that their sole responsibility is to investigate and solve crimes efficiently. (ANI)