New Delhi: The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has expressed strong displeasure over the failure of Uttar Pradesh government authorities to ensure the safety and security of school children, as mandated by the Supreme Court in the Avinash Mehrotra case.
A bench of Justice Alok Mathur and Justice B R Singh directed the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary to assign an officer of a rank not below that of Principal Secretary to provide an explanation and file an affidavit in the matter by September 5. The Bench warned that if the affidavit fails to satisfy the court, it may summon the Chief Secretary to appear and explain the situation personally.
The division bench hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed last week by residents of the Gomti River Bank. The petition claimed that despite the Supreme Court issuing guide- lines for the safety and security of school children in 2009, these guidelines have not been implemented. During the hearing, the bench also instructed the Joint Commissioner of Traffic Police to ensure that school children in the Hazratganj and Raj Bhawan areas are dropped off and picked up from within the school premises. Previosuly, the state counsel presented extensive records related to inspections of schools in five districts. However, upon inquiry, the Bench discovered that these records were merely forms submit- ted by school principals, with no actual inquiry re- ports. In the Avinash Mehrotra case, the Supreme Court established a de- tailed three-level structure to ensure accountability of the relevant authorities and to oversee the implementation of the guide- lines. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has been directed to assist state governments in this regard.