Thane: BJP Names Badlapur Sexual Abuse Case Co-Accused as Councillor

Council chairperson Ruchita Ghorpade has confirmed Apte's appointment. He was greeted after the process of selecting five co-opted councillors of the municipal council was completed on Friday. Two among them were nominated by the BJP, two by the Shiv Sena, and one by the Nationalist Congress Party.

Besides Apte, other nominated councillors include Shagof Gore (BJP), Prabhakar Patil (NCP), and Dilip Baikar and Hemant Chature (Shiv Sena).

Apte, who was then the secretary of the educational institution where the alleged sexual abuse occurred, was booked for allegedly failing to report the offence.

A case was registered against the school management under Section 21(2) of the POCSO Act for not filing a complaint in a case of sexual abuse of children.

Apte was arrested 44 days after the incident and granted bail within 48 hours. The case is currently sub judice.

Defending the decision, BJP councillor Rajan Ghorpade said Apte is a social activist and office-bearer of a reputed educational institution.

"Though he was named as an accused, his guilt has not been proven. The main accused has already been punished. Apte worked actively for the party and contributed to the party candidate's victory, and therefore, he was given this responsibility," Ghorpade said.

The girls were allegedly sexually abused by Akshay Shinde on the premises of the school, triggering massive protests by parents and citizens.

The main accused, Akshay Shinde (24), was arrested in August 2024 for allegedly sexually assaulting two minor girls inside the toilet of a school in Badlapur in Thane district.

On September 23, he was killed in an alleged police shootout while being taken from Navi Mumbai's Taloja prison for questioning. The police claimed he snatched the gun of one of the cops in the van, opened fire, and was killed in retaliatory firing. The accused was being taken for questioning in connection with a case lodged against him by his wife.