Safety of school kids: SC asks states to implement guidelines

The Supreme Court on Monday directed all state governments to ensure Centre's guidelines on safety and security of children are implemented in "reality" in every school of the country.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra also issued notice to Chief Secretaries of all states to ensure that they file responses to the petitions, including the one filed by the father of seven-year-old boy who was killed at a school in Gurugram.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, appearing for the Centre, said the reply was ready and would be filed within the week.

He also said the Centre, from time to time, has been issuing guidelines on safety of children to state governments for implementation.

The bench, also comprising justices A M Khanwilkar, took note of the several guidelines of the Centre and the CBSE and directed them to put them on their respective websites while asking state governments to suggest additional ones to ensure that children are safe in schools.

"The states shall see that Union of India's guidelines are implemented in reality and action plan for their implementation are also put in place so that children are safe," the bench said, adding that non-implementation would invite "adverse consequences".

Lawyer Sushil Tekriwal, appearing for Barun Chandra Thakur, father of the victim boy, said that he would be filing a rejoinder to the response filed by the CBSE.
The bench posted the matter for hearing on October 30 and asked the states to file responses in the meantime.

Earlier, the CBSE said the gruesome killing of a minor boy of Gurugram's Ryan International School took place due to the "negligence" of institution's administration as drivers, conductors were allowed to use washrooms meant only for kids and staff.

Pradyuman, a class II student of the high-profile school, was found dead with his throat slit by a sharp-edged weapon on the morning of September 8. It was alleged that he was killed by 42-year-old bus conductor Ashok Kumar inside the toilet as the boy resisted a bid to sodomise him.

PTI