Plea in SC to enforce 2014 norms on children safety in schools

A petition seeking a direction to the Centre to ensure implementation of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Human Resources Development in 2014 for safety and well-being of school children, would be taken up for hearing by the Supreme Court tomorrow.
The plea was mentioned today before a bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra who said a similar petition was already pending and listed the matter for hearing tomorrow.
The bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said several writ petitions have already been filed in the apex court on the issue.
"You be there tomorrow in the court," the bench told advocate Samar Vijay Singh who mentioned the matter.

The petition, filed by Noida resident Amit Ojha, has said the guidelines issued on October 9, 2014, suggested preventive mechanisms and procedures in the schooling system along with relief and redressal strategies in case of any incident.
The plea sought a direction to the ministry to fix the responsibility, liability and accountability of the principal and the management of the schools in case of any untoward incidents.

The plea has been filed in the backdrop of the Gurugram's Ryan International School incident in which a class II student was found dead inside the school with his throat slit by a sharp-edged weapon on the morning of September 8.

The latest petition has also sought a direction to fix a reasonable compensation to the parents of the child in case of any mishap in a school.
The 2014 guidelines contained a slew of directions for safety of children inside the school premises and even on the way to and from the educational institutions.
The guidelines listed out directions to state governments such as removal of all sale points of objectionable materials and community policing against the sale of tobacco or drugs near the schools.
It also directed the states to vigorously and constantly enforce traffic rules by monitoring the colour of school vehicles/buses, asking the police to verify the background of their drivers and helpers.