Chandigarh: A contempt petition has been filed against top officials of Haryana government for allegedly disobeying the Court’s order on implementation of policy for the safety of school children known as ‘Surkashit School Vahan Policy’ after the Mehendargarh school bus accident in Haryana on April 11 in a dreadful accident in which six students died and 20 sustained injuries when the school bus driver, who was allegedly drunk, rammed the bus into a tree. However, police have already arrested the Chairman, Principal, driver found under the influence of liquor at the time of mishap and two others.
The plea filed by Bal Kranti Trust stated that the Principal Secretary to the Government of Haryana, the Transport Commissioner and other top officials are responsible for flouting the safety measures which were formulated in policy after the High Court’s direction, thus alleged contempt of court since The High Court in 2017, had directed the transport department of the state as well as the Commission for the Protection of child rights to monitor the implementation of the policy by all the schools, added the petitioner, which was implemented on 23rd January 2023 and 20 January 2017.
In another PIL, Joint Transport Commissioner (Road Safety), Haryana filed a status report that the Surakshit School Vahan Policy 2014 is being properly implemented and the school buses as well as other vehicles are subjected to regular checking by the officials and if any laxity is found on the part of the any officials the same are liable to be dealt departmentally and further stated that teams have been constituted for the regular checking of the school buses, the plea stated. It is alleged that the State authorities despite filing the status report before the High Court claiming that the Surkshit Vahan Policy 2014 is being implemented effectively, in fact has not monitored and implemented the Policy and as a result, school bus carrying over 40 school going children met with an dreadful accident in Mahendergarh area.
The petitioner has submitted that although FIR has been registered u/s 304 of IPC against the driver and management of the school, what about the concerned officials owing a duty to conduct regular checks of the bus in view of the policy. Therefore, it is stated that all the concerned officials and a contemnor are liable to be booked under 304 of IPC having equally participated in the occurrence while not performing their due duties sincerely. Among those officers allegedly responsible for implementing ‘Safe School Vahan Neeti’ included senior officers from transport, police, roadways, education and administrative departments in the district including Deputy Commissioner and SDM.
