SC seeks Centre, states response on plea over safety of students in schools

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central and state governments on a plea seeking framing of non-negotiable child safety conditions and implementation of guidelines to protect school children from sexual abuse and murder.

A division bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud sought a reply from the Union Human Resources Ministry, all state governments and union territories within three weeks.

The plea was filed by two women lawyers, Abha R. Sharma and Sangeeta Bharti which the Supreme Court has tagged along with the petition filed by the father of seven-year-old Pradhuman, who was killed allegedly by a bus conductor at Gurgaon's Ryan International School.

The women lawyers suggested some guidelines, including that there should be no liquor vendors, hawkers, stalls selling tobacco and other such tobacco-based products within a kilometre radius of the schools.

The pleas also suggested formulation of guidelines, including maintenance of records of entry and exit of all persons, staff and parents and a female attendant to be employed outside the washrooms, toilet and changing rooms in all schools for pre-nursery to primary sections.

It also added if a person employed with the schools was found guilty of any other criminal offence, his or her services should be immediately terminated.

The apex court will also hear on Monday the plea of a man, whose 9-year-old son died last month allegedly under mysterious circumstances in a private school in Ghaziabad, seeking a CBI probe in the case.

The PIL raised the issue of children being exploited and subjected to child abuse repeatedly within the boundaries of the schools and demanded that the Central and state governments notify a set of non-negotiable child safety conditions for schools.

It has sought proper implementation of existing guidelines of authorities including the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR) on prevention of child abuse in schools.