The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday restrained the police from filing charge sheets against principals/heads of schools following First Information Reports (FIRs) registered against them for not implementing financially viable safety norms for schools issued by the city police after the rape of a six-year-old student at a private school. Making it clear that the principals/heads of schools cannot be treated like criminals, the court pulled up the police for exercising their authority of registering criminal cases without making any effort to shake hands with the school authorities and holding meetings with them for ensuring that safety norms are effectively implemented.
Directing the police to a “course correction” and adopt consultations through handshakes with the managements of the schools, the court said that FIRs could be registered against the schools only as a last resort, when schools fail to implement safety norms despite many opportunities.
Justice A.N. Venugopala Gowda issued the directions while hearing the petitions filed by the Karnataka Private School Joint Action Committee and others, who had described some of the norms as “impractical” while seeking direction to the police for holding meetings with them on difficulties faced to enforce the norms.
The court said it was impossible to implement safety norms at one ago, and that the police should have enforced norms in a phased manner.
Clarifying that the aim of the court was to see that safety of the students, parents, particularly women on the school campus, Justice Gowda asked when the government could not enforce norms in schools run by it, how could private schools achieve the task within a short period.
