The Nagpur bench of the on Tuesday reprimanded several city schools for failing to comply with mandatory safety oversight measures for school buses. The court noted that 93 out of 131 institutions had not submitted required details regarding transport committee meetings.
A division bench comprising Justices Anil Kilor and Raj Wakode observed that despite multiple opportunities, only 38 schools provided information about meetings intended to review student transport safety. The remaining institutions failed to respond.
The matter arises from a suo motu PIL initiated after the death of a schoolchild who was run over by a bus, bringing attention to serious safety lapses. The court has been monitoring compliance with state norms, which mandate that schools conduct transport committee meetings every three months. These committees must include the school head and parent representatives.
Senior advocate Firdos Mirza, acting as amicus curiae, assisted the bench along with Isha Thakre. The state was represented by additional government pleader Deepak Thakre, while the Nagpur Municipal Corporation was represented by advocate Abhay Sambre.
The case has been scheduled for its next hearing on April 4.
Earlier, on January 16, the court directed all respondent schools to submit a detailed record of transport committee meetings held over the past two years. Despite extensions, most schools failed to comply, leading the court to instruct the government to issue notices to those yet to respond.
The bench also warned of strict action, indicating that schools failing to submit the required information could face a penalty of ?50,000 each. It emphasized that continued non-compliance raises serious concerns about student safety.
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