The Bombay High Court on Monday stated that the trial in a case pertaining to the alleged sexual abuse of two four-year-old girls in Badlapur should be fast-tracked, reported PTI.

The girls were allegedly sexually abused by a male attendant, Akshay Shinde, at their school on August 12. One of them told her parents about the assault on August 16, after which they approached the police.

Four days later, one of the children reported the incident to her parents who approached the police. He was arrested on August 17.

On September 23, Shinde died while he was being taken from Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai to the Crime Branch office in Thane in connection with a separate case of sexual assault filed by his second wife in 2022.

The police claimed that he snatched a police weapon and fired at security personnel during his transportation. He injured a police officer and was shot in retaliatory firing that led to his death, according to the authorities.

Shinde’s death in the police firing drew criticism of the state government from the Opposition parties in Maharashtra with Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan alleging that the accused was killed in a “fake encounter” by the police to “save certain people”.

In October, the Bombay High Court ordered an expedited magisterial inquiry into Shinde’s custodial death.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team set up by the Maharashtra government to probe the sexual abuse case filed its chargesheet against Shinde, the headmaster of the school and two management members, according to PTI.

The chargesheet said that the headmaster and members of management “failed to report” the assault, as mandated by the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act.

On Monday, public prosecutor Hiten Venegaonkar told the High Court that the investigation was complete and the trial would now proceed.

The court said that the case must be fast-tracked and conducted expeditiously due to the young age of the girls.

The bench scheduled the next hearing for January 20 and said the prosecution must update the court on the trial’s progress by the date.

Previously, the bench had ordered the formation of an expert committee to examine the safety of children in schools and educational institutions.

Venegaonkar said that the committee had not yet submitted its report. The High Court said that if the report is submitted by the next hearing, it should be presented before the court.