The High Court of Karnataka on Wednesday directed the State government to carry out a survey of all hostels run by the government, particularly hostels for children from backward classes, to assess their safety in view of the electrocution of five boys at Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Pre-metric Boys hostel at Bannikatti in Koppal district on August 18.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice S.R. Kumar issued the directions while hearing a PIL petition, suo motu initiated by the HC based on a letter petition received from from All India Lawyers’ Union-Karnataka Unit through the post.
The Bench directed the government to set up a team of officials to ascertain the present conditions of hostels and to examine whether they are safe for students while also ascertaining whether they are overcrowded.
Referring to statistics provided in the letter that 1,031 hostels of a total of 2,438 are in rented buildings, the Bench asked the State to examine whether proper facilities were available to students as almost half of total number of hostels are running in the rented buildings.
The government has also been directed to inform the HC whether any norm has been fixed for facilities to be provided at such hostels with regard to the safety of children and to submit a copy of such norms to the court. If none exist, then the government should take steps to frame norms within a month, the Bench said.
More compensation
On the compensation paid to the parents of the five boys who died at Koppal hostel, the Bench directed the government to examine the possibility of paying more compensation after it was brought to Court’s notice that while the government had paid a compensation of ₹5 lakh each, the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company had paid another ₹5 lakh each as compensation. While directing the government to inform the details of disciplinary proceedings initiated against the warden of hostel at Bannikatti, the Bench adjourned further hearing till December 5.
