Safety norms: HC warns action against errant govt headmasters

The High Court on Tuesday slammed the Karnataka government for the poor progress shown by state-run schools in implementation of guidelines issued by the Bangalore police commissioner on safety of children. It also warned to prosecute the errant headmasters and principals.

“You should be a role model for others, but unfortunately you are lagging behind,” Justice A N Venogopala Gowda observed. The court gave the dressing-down after the government informed it that 298 state-run schools had failed to implement the guidelines while cases were registered against a mere 25 of them. Justice Gowda asked the government how much time it needed to file an undertaking on the matter.

The court is hearing a petition by Karnataka Private School Joint Action Committee (KPSJAC), an umbrella body of State, ICSE, CBSE and IB (International Baccalaureate) schools that has challenged the guidelines issued by the police commissioner on July 26, 2014, following the rape of a six-year-old at a private school in the City.

Additional Advocate general A S Ponnanna, representing the State, submitted an interim report on the implementation of the guidelines. The report states that the government has constituted a special cell to monitor the implementation of the guidelines and local Station House Officers (SHOs) have been instructed to visit the schools in plainclothes and ascertain whether the guidelines are being implemented.

As per the report, a total of 2,727 schools have been identified, including 2,100 private ones. Only 273 private schools have fully complied with the guidelines while 1,604 institutions have partially complied; 223 schools have totally failed to comply.

Partial implementation

Of the 46 schools run by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), 38 institutions have implemented the guidelines partially while eight have completely failed to do so but no case has been registered against them. The report further states that the police are in the process of registering FIRs and taking action against all schools that have failed to implement even a single guideline, and that a final report will be filed in this connection.

The report also referred to the meeting called by the additional commissioner of police on September 9, where the DCP (VVIP security)—who is the nodal officer on the implementation of the guidelines—and an inspector at the City Crime Record Bureau met the KPSJAC representatives who explained the difficulties in implementing the guidelines, saying it entailed huge financial burden.

The court has asked the BBMP commissioner and principal secretary, primary and secondary education, to appear before it on Wednesday.