The Madras High Court on Friday directed the Transport Department to issue instructions for installation of CCTV cameras and GPS devices in all schoolbuses, and ensure the instructions are implemented within a month of their issuance.
It was acting on a public interest litigation petition filed by advocate S. Gopi Krishnan, seeking a direction to make it mandatory for all schoolbuses in Tamil Nadu to fit CCTV cameras and GPS devices from this academic year.
A division bench of Justice S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad issued the orders to make it mandatory to install CCTV cameras and GPS devices on all schoolbuses of private schools, including CBSE and ICSE board schools, after the lawyer for the government submitted a copy of the order of the Director of School Education (DSE), dated July 22. In the order, the Director of School Education had referred to the High Court’s interim order on July 11, observing that the Right to Education also meant right to health and hygiene, fire safety, building safety and transport safety in schools.
‘Monitor movement’
He said instructions were issued to arrange for CCTV cameras and GPS devices in each schoolbus owned or hired by the school and the school management must ensure that the devices are kept in good working condition.
The movement of the bus must also be closely monitored in a control room in the school premises by the management.
The court issued the directions following these submissions to the bench on Friday.
