E-Paper
Chairman, director of Dwarka private school summoned as accused in connection with minor’s sexual assault
New Delhi: A Delhi court has summoned the chaiman and director of a private school Dwarka, as accused in connection with the sexual assault of a four-and-a-half-year
New Delhi: A Delhi court has summoned the chaiman and director of a private school Dwarka, as accused in connection with the sexual assault of a four-and-a-half-year old girl in 2017 by her classmate of the same age.
The court emphasised that it was their responsibility to ensure that all classrooms had CCTV cameras in accordance with the guidelines of the Delhi government’s directorate of education. The incident, according to the chargesheet, had taken place inside a classroom but there was no evidence, in the absence of CCTV cameras.
The court said “there has been a prima facie neglect by the chairman towards his duty in installation of the CCTV cameras” as it rejected the investigating officer’s decision to not make the duo as accused for want of sufficient evidence.
Additional sessions judge Purva Sareen directed the chairman and the director to appear before the court on February 24 next year after the mother of the child victim had filed a protest petition against the supplementary charge sheet filed, where both were not named as accused for lack of sufficient evidence.
The judge, in their December 24 order, said “it goes without saying that if a parent sends a child to the school, the school authorities have to ensure the safety and security of the child”.
“In my considered opinion, it was also a responsibility of the chairman and the director to ensure that all the guidelines of the directorate of education which had been made compulsory for the safety and security of the children had to be followed and as the classroom had no CCTV cameras and the same was against the guidelines,” the court said.
On September 15, 2017, the DoE had made it mandatory to install a sufficient number of CCTV cameras in school premises so as to mandatorily cover all classrooms, labs, corridor, parking, library, vacant rooms, areas outside washrooms and all isolated areas. The order was passed to ensure 360 degree coverage of the entire school premises.
The city government had also directed that the CCTV camera should be functional around-the-clock, along with a recording facility of minimum 15 days or above.
The court noted that as per the final report of the police, the CCTV footage of only the ground, main gate and corridor were given to the investigating officer by the school.
“Other this footage, no other footage was provided by the school and as per the final report filed by the IO, no CCTV had been installed in the school which was against the DOE recommendation,” the court said.
According to the FIR filed by the victim’s mother, the girl had complained to the school teacher through a text message of the sexual assault on her daughter by her classmate on November 17, 2017 inside the classroom.
She had alleged that she had informed the school authorities who allegedly did not cooperate with her and instead asked her to give a written complaint. Since her daughter’s pain did not subside, she rushed her to a hospital where she was treated as well as a medico-legal case made. A police case was then registered.
The mother alleged that there was no class teacher or even an helper, or help, in either the classroom or washroom at the time of the assault. She said her daughter’s delayed exit from the classroom, as she saw in CCTV footage, corroborated the sexual assault allegation.
No charge had been invoked against the boy since the juvenile justice law gives complete immunity from prosecution to children below seven years of age.
