A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Thursday initiated a suo motu proceeding in connection with the death a girl student of the Government Sarvajana Vocational Higher Secondary School, Sulthan Bathery, allegedly after snakebite.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice S. Manikumar and Justice Anu Sivaraman issued notice to the Chief Secretary and the Health Secretary on a suo motu public interest litigation based on letters of Justice C.K. Abdul Rehim, executive chairman, Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA), and Justice A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar. A report was submitted by the the Wayanad District Legal Services Authority chairman to the KELSA.
The letters said that Shehala Sherin, a class V student of the school, died on account of snakebite sustained inside the classroom.
The report of the Wayanad District Legal Service Authority said the inference arrived at by the team which inspected the school was that the irresponsible attitude of the authorities in the school, coupled with the non-availability of ‘anti-venom’ for snakebite in the nearby hospitals and the irresponsible attitude of the doctors and other staff at the taluk hospital, were the factors which contributed to the death of the child. Snakebite anti-venom or ambulance with intensive care facility was not available in the hospitals near to the educational institutions, the report said.
The report pointed out that educational authorities needed to intensify periodical inspections of schools in order to ensure hygiene and health facilities and to provide environmental safety of the students. The government authorities under various departments such as the Education Department, Local Self-Government Department, Health and Child Welfare Department, and the police were shirking their responsibilities.
