Bombay High Court Orders FIR And SIT Probe Against Five Policemen In Connection To Custodial Death Of Badlapur Sexual Assault Accused

Mumbai: In the latest update regarding the custodial death of the Badlapur sexual assault accused, the Bombay High Court on April 7 instructed the Maharashtra government to file an FIR and establish a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the death of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case, following a magistrate's inquiry that identified five police officers as responsible for his death in custody. The court stated, “Justice  must not only be done but seen to be done.”

#BombayHighCourt has directed constitution of an SIT and register FIR against 5 policemen who were found responsible for death of Badlapur sexual assault accused.

HC noted that “Justice must not only be done but seen to be done.”@fpjindia

— Urvi Jappi-Mahajani (@UrviJM) April 7, 2025

Earlier, the Bombay High Court inquired with the Maharashtra government about its reasons for not filing a First Information Report (FIR) against the five police officers involved in the death of Akshay Shinde, who was accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case. The inquiry report from the magistrate presented to the Bombay High Court on January 20, 2024, determined that five police officers are accountable for the custodial death of Akshay Shinde.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale has reserved its decision on whether the State government should register an FIR.

On behalf of the Maharashtra government, Senior Advocate Amit Desai informed the court that the State government is currently conducting an independent investigation into the matter. Desai stated that the government has established a commission led by a retired Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to investigate the incident. Following the incident, an accidental death report was filed, and the State Crime Investigation Department (CID) was carrying out its inquiry into Akshay Shinde’s custodial death, he stated.

The Amicus Curiae, designated to aid the court, senior advocate Manjula Rao, stated that the police ought to have filed the FIR right after the custodial death was revealed.

The accused, Akshay Shinde (24), was apprehended for allegedly sexually assaulting two kindergarten girls in a school restroom in Badlapur town, located in the Thane district of Maharashtra. He was the school monitor. He passed away in a purported encounter while being transported in a van from Taloja prison to Thane for interrogation.

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