SC Notice To Centre, States On Plea By Women Lawyers Seeking Guidelines For Improving Safety Of School Students

The Supreme Court today issued notices to the Centre and all states on a plea by two women lawyers seeking framing of non- negotiable child safety conditions and implementation of existing guidelines to protect school-going children from offences like sexual abuse and murder across the country.

Giving the parties three weeks time to respond, a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra tagged the petition along with a similar plea filed by the father of a seven year old boy Pradhyumn Thakur who was murdered inside Gurugram's Ryan International school.

Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar accepted notice on behalf of the Centre.

Both the petitions will be heard after two weeks.

The plea that also sought cancellation of licenses of erring schools has made all state governments and Union territories (UTs) as parties and 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.

The PIL, filed through lawyer Sujeeta Srivastava, raised the issue of children being exploited and subjected to child abuse repeatedly within the boundaries of the schools and demanded that central and state governments notify a set of non-negotiable child safety conditions for schools. Besides Union Human Resources Ministry, the plea has made all state governments and Union territories (UTs) as parties and 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.