Badlapur assault case: Maharashtra issues guidelines for students’ safety in schools

A forensic team examines the police van in which Akshay Shinde, the accused in the Badlapur sexual assault case of two minor girls, was killed in police encounter, in Thane, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Maharashtra Department of School Education and Sports issued a government resolution (GR) with new guidelines and measures for the safety of children in schools on Tuesday (May 13, 2025). The Bombay High Court had ordered a review of safety protocols while trying a case involving the sexual assault on two minors in Badlapur.

The measures in the 23-page GR issued on May 13 include enhanced CCTV surveillance of classroom entrances, corridors, main entrances and exits, playgrounds, and outside toilets. It also calls for counselling support, and improved handling of child abuse cases, and collaboration between schools, parents, and relevant authorities.

In a suo motu Public Interest Litigation in August 2024, the High Court ordered the formation of an expert committee to review the safety protocols for children in schools and other educational institutions. The court appointed retired Justices Sadhana Jadhav and Shalini Phansalkar Joshi of the HC to head a committee to provide comprehensive recommendations for effective implementation of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act in educational institutions. Former Indian Police Service, Meeran Borwankar was also appointed as part of this committee along with a former school principal. 

The GR suggests that once an educational institute receives information about a sexual offence against a child, the institute shall inform the local police station or the Special Juvenile Police Unit within one month’s time; else, the police can take legal action against the institute as per the POCSO Act.   

Train children to complain

The GR says children must be told to lodge complaints regarding misconduct in school through the POCSO Act e-box and the mobile application, ‘Chirag.’ The box has been created by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights, while the app has been created by the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) in partnership with the International Justice Mission. Noticeboards and the school’s internal security wall should display information on these utilities. Students should also be educated about the child helpline number, 1098.

Every school premise must have a main entrance with walls on all sides and a guard at the main entrance. There must be CCTV cameras installed in sufficient numbers at strategic locations in the premises with at least one month’s footage backup of the entrances of classrooms, corridors, main entrances and exits, playgrounds, outside toilets, etc. The schools must ensure cameras are functioning. If this is not complied with, appropriate action will be taken against schools, such as withholding the grant or cancelling recognition.

Unauthorised persons should not be allowed into school premises. When it comes to attendance, teachers must take attendance in the morning, afternoon, and in the evening when the school closes. If a student is found missing parents should be informed immediately through SMS.

Every school must have a trained, qualified, and experienced counsellor. Students facing bullying or physical harassment must use the complaint box, and the ‘student safety committee’ established at the school must take appropriate measures to protect the child.

At the pre-primary and primary level, children must be taught about good touch and bad touch with demonstrations.

The institution must ensure that there are no paan stalls selling tobacco products within a radius of 1km.

Employee verification

Workshops on healthy parenting should be organised; apart from self-defence programmes for children, interactive discussions on health, child marriage, and inclusivity in collaboration with counsellors and local doctors.  

The GR says schools must conduct character and background certification of all employees before appointing them. Technology-based utilities like ‘crime and criminal record network systems’ should be used for verification. If after appointment an employee is found to have a criminal record, that person should be immediately removed from service.

Schools will be solely responsible for ensuring the safety of students when it comes to transportation. Every school must implement a GPS system for buses. There should be one woman attendant in every school bus. CCTV cameras should also be installed in the school buses.

In case of an emergency, the principal shall hand over custody of the child to a woman teacher only, until parents or relatives arrive. There should also be separate toilets and common rooms for girls and boys in every school, with a female attendant posted near the girls’ and boys’ toilets. A buzzer or bell should be installed in all toilets.