Bengaluru: Emboldened by the recent Karnataka High Court ruling that lifted restrictions imposed on the police from filing charge sheets against schools that fail to follow safety guidelines, the governemnet has said a high power committee, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, will decide on the deadline for schools to fall in line with the stipulations. The committee will meet on Tuesday.

The Home Ministry has decided to crack the whip against adamant schools failing to implement the guidelines, Home Minister K.J. George told presspersons here on Monday. He said 600 schools had “partially implemented” the guidelines, but the rule on installing CCTV cameras are yet to be adhered to.

“There is no compromise on fixing CCTVs in schools and setting up control rooms to monitor them without interruption,” he said.

The Home Ministry, on Monday, issued additional suggestions to the existing ones, which includes appointing only women in co-education schools up to fifth standard. The responsibility of implementing the guidelines in schools will be handed over to Station House Officer of the local police station with the assistance of the Education Department.

The police will henceforth maintain a data bank on perpetrators of sexual crimes against women and children. The government has assured the immediate setting up of three fast-track courts for women and children, out of the 10 proposed.

“The Chief Minister has directed officials to clear roadblocks for this. The Karnataka Chief Justice has promised to make three of them operational at the earliest. Steps have been taken to appoint Public Prosecutors,” Mr. George said.
Three-digit helpline

The department plans to allot a three-digit number (like 100) to the helpline for women and children, he said.