Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 21: Division Bench of State High Court comprising Chief Justice M M Kumar and Justice Hasnain Massodi today directed the State to file status report with regard to the implementation of guidelines laid down by the Supreme Court for the school buses and other vehicles being used for to and fro journey of the students.
When the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding ban on tinted/black films and implementation of traffic rules came up for hearing, Advocate Rohit Kapoor appearing for the petitioners drew the attention of the Division Bench towards the February 8 incident wherein a girl student was crushed to death by bus of her own school that too in the school premises and said, “the Supreme Court guidelines in this regard are being flouted with impunity”.
Pointing towards the Supreme Court judgement dated December 16, 1997 delivered in M C Mehta Versus Union of India and Others case, Advocate Kapoor said, “in the judgement delivered by the then Chief Justice of India, various guidelines were laid for the school buses being used for to and fro journey of the students but unfortunately such guidelines are not being strictly adhered to right under the nose of the authorities concerned and the February 8 incident was outcome of the same”.
In support of his arguments, Advocate Kapoor even produced some photographs depicting the poor condition of the buses and other vehicles ferrying students and said, “the situation is more worrisome in case of small and little known schools. The management of such schools have hired such vans, which are not worth for plying on the roads”, adding “even eight to ten students are bungled into auto-rickshaws engaged by some schools and this amounts to playing with the lives of the students”.
After hearing Advocate Rohit Kapoor and Senior Additional Advocate General, Gagan Basotra, the Division Bench directed the State to file status report with regard to implementation of Supreme Court guidelines by the schools vis-à-vis vehicles used for transportation of students within a period of three weeks.
In the meantime, Advocate Kapoor drew the attention of the Division Bench towards non-compliance of the order dated December 24, 2012 whereby the High Court had issued directions for implementation of Apex Court directions to check eve-teasing and sexual harassment.
Taking serious note of non-adherence to the directions, the DB remarked, “no heed has been paid to the directions whereby the respondent-State was asked to file status report as to what steps have been taken with regard to compliance of the directions of the Supreme Court”, adding “the respondent was also directed to file status report with regard to constitution of committees at work places”.
The DB also directed the State to ensure compliance of the directions to check plying of police escort vehicles without any registration numbers.
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