Delhi High Court Cancels Bail of Janakpuri School Caretaker Accused of Rape
The Delhi High Court on Monday, June 29, 2026, cancelled the bail granted to a 57-year-old private school caretaker accused of raping a three-year-old girl at a school in Janakpuri, West Delhi. The accused, Lalit Kumar, had previously been granted bail by a court in Dwarka, a decision that has now been overturned.
Justice Vinod Kumar of the Delhi High Court's vacation Bench directed Kumar to surrender before the jurisdictional POCSO court by 2 p.m. on July 1, 2026. The High Court's ruling came after hearing petitions filed by the Delhi Police and the victim's mother, who both challenged the Dwarka trial court's May 7 decision to release the caretaker on bail.
During the proceedings, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the police, argued that the trial court should not have granted bail to the main accused. He submitted that the case involves aggravated penetrative sexual assault under Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, which carries a minimum punishment of 20 years in prison. Raju highlighted that the young victim had already identified the caretaker and made specific allegations against him.
In contrast, the counsel representing the accused denied all allegations of sexual assault, asserting that the foundational facts of the case could not be sustained.
The case originated on May 1, 2026, when the girl's mother filed a complaint at the Janakpuri police station. According to the complaint, the child had attended her second day of school on April 30, after which she complained of physical pain upon returning home. When questioned by her mother, the child stated that a man had taken her to an isolated area within the school premises and assaulted her.
Following the mother's complaint, the Delhi Police registered a case under Section 64(1) (rape) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 6 of the POCSO Act. Kumar was arrested on May 1 after being identified by the child and was subsequently sent to judicial custody. Despite strong opposition from prosecutors, the Dwarka court granted him bail on May 7.
Additionally, a school teacher was arrested on May 14 for allegedly concealing the incident from school authorities and was remanded to police custody for one day.
