Badlapur Sexual Assault Case: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed an impartial and thorough investigation into the police shooting of Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case, raising serious questions about the circumstances of the encounter. Shinde, 24, was shot dead by police on September 24, allegedly after he seized a police officer’s pistol and opened fire while being transported from Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai to Badlapur.
A division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan expressed skepticism about the police’s account of events, particularly how Shinde managed to wrestle a gun from a trained officer and open fire. “It is very hard to believe that Shinde could seize a pistol and fire it. It’s not easy to unlock and fire a pistol,” the court said. The bench also questioned why Shinde was shot in the head instead of being incapacitated with non-lethal shots to his hands or legs.
The court emphasized the importance of a fair and impartial investigation, warning that if it found any discrepancies or misconduct, it would be forced to pass appropriate orders. The case will be heard further on October 3, by which time the police must decide on a complaint filed by Shinde’s father, Anna Shinde, who has sought an FIR against the officers involved.
The court also ordered that all case papers related to Shinde’s death be handed over to the Maharashtra Crime Investigation Department (CID), which has been tasked with conducting the probe. The court was hearing a petition from Shinde’s father, who alleged that his son had been killed in a “fake encounter” by the police.
Meanwhile, posters of Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis holding a gun surfaced in parts of Mumbai two days after the accused was shot dead. The hoardings congratulated Fadnavis using a wordplay — Badla Pura (revenge complete). However, there were no names of any organisations mentioned on the hoardings.
The BJP has also displayed posters alleging that during the previous Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government in Maharashtra, the police were involved in extortion, whereas now they safeguard the public. Meanwhile, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has released newspaper advertisements portraying the Chief Minister as “Dharamvir” and accusing opposition parties of politicizing sensitive issues like rape.