New Delhi:
The Delhi High Court has issued notice to the Centre and the Delhi Police on a petition seeking filing of FIR against a schoolteacher for allegedly meting out corporal punishment to a class II girl in Bawana, who died a few days later.
The notice was issued in response to a petition filed by the deceased school girl Shanno's father, who sought action against the victim's teacher.
Justice G S Sistani also simultaneously issued notices to Delhi's Chief Secretary and Directorate of Education and sought their reply by May 14.
In the petition, I U Khan, father of the 11-year-old sought the court's direction for registration of the FIR under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), where maximum sentence is for 10 years.
So far, police has registered the case under section 304 A (causing death by negligent act), where the maximum punishment is a two-year sentence.
Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Rohit Kochar submitted before the court that the teacher should be booked under the relevant provisions of law because she owed moral responsibility and legal obligation to protect any student.
The lawyer also sought court's direction to the MCD to ensure compliance of the High Court's guidelines of year 2000 with regard to corporal punishment in schools.
He also demanded the case be transferred to the CBI. Shanno, a student of MCD primary school in Bawana, had slipped into coma and died on April 17.
Manju, the accused schoolteacher, who allegedly asked the girl to stand in the sun with bricks on her shoulders.
A case of death due to negligence, which is a bailable offence, was registered in the matter.