The Supreme Court would frame comprehensive guidelines to ensure safety and security of school children, it said on Monday.
The apex court ordered compilation of norms formulated by the Centre and states for its consideration and has asked all stakeholders to give their suggestions for comprehensive collation. “We are going to frame guidelines for the future,” it said.
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, 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.
Meanwhile, lawyer Sushil Tekriwal, appearing for Barun Chandra Thakur, the father of the Ryan International student, referred to the CBSE’s reply and said that if the earlier guidelines of the board had been complied with, this unfortunate incident could have been avoided.
The Class 2 student was found dead with his throat slit by a sharp-edged weapon on 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.