SC for comprehensive guidelines for safety of kids in schools

The Supreme Court said today that it would frame comprehensive guidelines to ensure safety and security of schoolchildren, and ordered compilation of norms formulated by the Centre and states for its consideration.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra was hearing several pleas including the one filed by the father of a seven-year-old boy who was found dead with his throat slit at Ryan International School in Gurugram in September.

The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, asked all stakeholders to give their suggestions for comprehensive compilation and posted the matter for further hearing on December 4.

It asked advocate Suchita Srivastav to study the existing guidelines and consider suggestions of stakeholders, including the Centre, Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), state governments and other parties concerned, and file a comprehensive report.

Srivastav is one of the counsels for the two women lawyers who have filed a separate petition on the issue of safety of schoolchildren.

"We are going to frame guidelines for the future," the bench said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Sushil Tekriwal, appearing for Barun Chandra Thakur, the father of the Ryan International student, referred to the CBSEs reply and said that if the earlier guidelines of the board had been complied with, this unfortunate incident couldve been avoided.

The Class 2 student 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.

On October 9, the Centre had told the apex court that it had issued guidelines and advisories to all states on safety and security of schoolchildren and that it had a limited role as its guidelines are to be enforced by the states.

The court had on October 9 asked the state governments to ensure that the Centres guidelines on safety and security of children were implemented in "reality" in every school of the country.

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