Sexual abuse in schools; SC seeks reply from Centre, states

New Delhi, Dec 5: The Supreme Court today sought response from the Centre and all state governments on a plea alleging steep rise in cases of sexual abuse of children in schools across the country and seeking steps to check such incidents.

"It (PIL) is for good cause. We issue notice," a bench of Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justice A K Sikri said.

It was hearing a PIL filed by Vineet Dhanda through lawyer J P Dhandaa seeking a direction to the Centre and state governments to ensure safety of children from such heinous acts in schools and other places.

The plea contended that there is neither any guideline nor any law to fix liability of educational institutions in such cases. It has also sought framing of guidelines to stop incidents of sexual abuse of students.

"It is the prime duty of schools, the government and the administration to protect the precious lives of children from being scarred as a result of such dastardly acts...," the lawyer said.

"The more disturbing part besides the gory crime of child sexual abuse is that the educational institutions have no liabilities whatsoever fixed by law in case of such offences in their premises and even the police administration goes out of the way to protect such educational institutions for their own vested interests," the PIL said.

"The petitioner is seeking indulgence of this court for direction to all the State authorities of the country and also to the Union of India and its authorities to awaken to the cause of small innocent school going children whose lives are endangered by the recklessness of school administration and lack of proper guidelines and fixation of liability of school authorities....," it said.

The PIL has referred to recent incidents of sexual abuses of children in several schools across the country.

PTI