BADLAPUR: Facing political backlash following his appointment by BJP as a co-opted councillor in the Kulgaon-Badlapur municipal council, Tushar Apte, one of the accused in the 2024 Badlapur school sexual abuse case, resigned from the post Saturday. He was appointed Friday, reports Pradeep Gupta. Apte was booked in the sexual abuse case for allegedly failing to report the offence under provisions of Pocso Act when he was serving as secretary of the school trust where the incident occurred. Apte tendered his resignation on the instructions of BJP’s Maharashtra president Ravindra Chavan. Addressing the media, Apte said he was stepping down to prevent damage to the reputation of the school and the party. “I’m resigning from the post of co-opted councillor so that the school and BJP are not defamed. I am submitting my resignation to the Thane district collector and the municipal council’s chief executive officer,” he said. Apte was appointed one of the five co-opted councillors, drawing criticism from the opposition, civil society groups.