The charges against Mohammed Mustafa under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012 have been dropped in connection with the suo motu case registered by the Whitefield police.
The police had registered a suo motu first information report (FIR) for his alleged misconduct at the private school where he worked till 2011.
Questions were raised on the matter as the time of the offence was said to be 2011 before the POCSO Act was enacted.
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“The crimes that are being investigated seem to have occurred before 2012. We were advised by legal experts that the Act cannot have a retrospective effect and hence the sections have been dropped from the FIR,” said Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi.
Meanwhile, Mr. Reddi said they were still probing Mustafa’s role in the rape of the six-year-old girl and they needed more time to rule out his involvement. Mustafa is presently in judicial custody at Bangalore Central Prison.
Parents from the school in Marathahalli where the six-year-old girl was raped, who have led various protests over the last fortnight, did not participate in the Bangalore bandh on Thursday.
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Many parents felt that the issue was being politicised and that different groups were using the platform to gain political mileage.
However, a section of the parents are planning to hold a candlelight protest on Saturday at 23 places in the city.
The Marathahalli school, like many other private schools remained closed on Thursday.