Maharashtra Government Called Out by Bombay High Court for Negligence in School Child Safety Regulations
Supreme Court Expresses Dissatisfaction over Maharashtra's School Safety Measures
The Supreme Court has expressed its dissatisfaction over the Maharashtra government's report on the implementation of child safety guidelines in schools. A bench of Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Sandesh Patil noted glaring lapses in the compliance report.
The court's displeasure stemmed from the fact that provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have not been communicated to the managements of 12,104 government schools and 10,789 private schools. Furthermore, CCTV cameras were missing in 45,315 government schools and 11,139 private schools.
The child safety guidelines were issued by the department of school education and sports after a sexual assault incident in a Badlapur school. However, the report is silent on inspections of residential schools, anganwadis, ashramshalas, and observation homes. No list of schools inspected was provided.
School safety committees are absent in 2,266 government schools and 3,231 private schools. In 46,188 government schools and 22,148 private schools, safety measures regarding student transportation, such as driver verification, GPS installation, and female attendant appointment, are absent.
The bench observed that critical safeguards, such as sufficient CCTV coverage in all schools and background verification of staff, remained neglected. The court has stated that orders should not remain on paper but be taken to their logical conclusion.
Advocate Rebecca Gonsalves, appointed as amicus curiae, submitted a note to the court and said that the compliance seemed "superficial." The court has flagged that several key aspects have not been checked, including the appointment of counsellors, proper functioning of complaint boxes, CCTV monitoring, safety of toilets, cyber safety awareness, first aid, self-defence training, and disaster management plans.
The authorities in Maharashtra conduct inspections and audits of residential groups, Anganwadis, ashramshalas, and observation homes to ensure compliance with school safety regulations. As of August 29, 63,887 government schools and 44,435 private schools were inspected.
The matter has been kept for further hearing on September 30. The court has directed the school education department to ensure compliance details are uploaded on its website for parental awareness.
In a separate observation, the court has refused to quash an FIR against a 19-year-old engineering student in Pune, which is not directly related to the earlier facts but was mentioned in the article. The court's emphasis on the importance of child safety and the need for effective implementation of safety guidelines remains a significant concern.
