Badlapur case: Draft GR on safety of schoolkids

Mumbai: The state govt on Monday submitted a comprehensive draft govt resolution (GR) regarding measures for the safety and security of schoolchildren. Bombay high court Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Neela Gokhale were hearing a suo motu PIL taken up following the Aug 2024 sexual assault of two minors in a Badlapur school.A committee, set up by the education department and later led by two retired HC judges, submitted its report to HC in Feb with recommendations. These included mandatory CCTV cameras, separate washrooms with male and female attendants, and character verification of staff. On April 9, HC rapped the govt over the delay in informing whether it would consider and implement the committee's recommendations, asking: "Are you waiting for another incident to happen?"After prosecutor Prajakta Shinde submitted a copy of the draft GR, the judges appointed advocate Rebecca Gonsalves to assist as amicus curiae (friend of the court). They asked her to review the draft GR and earlier GRs and provide her "suggestions and anything else" on Wednesday.tnn