"This concerns the safety of all children across the country," Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra observed on Monday while referring to the murder of a seven-year-old boy in a Gurugram school a few days back.
The boy's father moved the Supreme Court on an urgent basis seeking a CBI investigation into the murder. He was seen standing quietly at the back of the courtroom in the visitors' gallery.
His petition, filed by advocate Kamlesh Mishra, said the court should intervene and frame guidelines to make schools accountable for children's safety. The school administration should be held liable if an incident or an accident occurred to a child within its premises.
Reports said the Ryan International first informed the parents, saying boy died after a fall. The body was found in a bathroom with fatal injuries, allegedly done by a knife.
The Bench, also comprising Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, issued notice to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Haryana government, the Haryana DGP, the CBI and CBSE.
They have to respond in three weeks.
"We will not restrict this hearing to just one school. The hearing and the decision will have countrywide repercussions," Chief Justice Misra observed.
