Delhi Police Prepares SOP For Ensuring Students' Safety During College Fests, High Court Closes Suo Motu PIL

The Delhi Police has framed a standard operating procedure (SOP) to be followed by Universities and Colleges while organizing events or festivals for ensuring safety and security of students in general, and female students in particular.

A division bench comprising of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora closed a suo motu PIL initiated last year on the issue of “security breaches” particularly in respect of female attendees at various fests organized by colleges or universities in the Delhi-NCR region.

The counsel appearing for the Delhi University, IIT Delhi and GGSIPU undertook that they shall follow the SOP suggested by the Delhi Police along with the various directives or advisories issued by them.

The varsities clarified that their directives or advisories are not in conflict with Delhi Police's SOP in any manner.

“Recording the aforesaid undertaking/statements by the Respondents, which are accepted by this Court, the present matter is closed,” the court said.

It added: “In the event the Standard Operating Procedure needs to be revised in the future, the parties shall be at liberty to do so with consent of all.”

The suo motu case was initiated regarding an incident wherein various women students of Delhi University's Bharati College were “secretly filmed” in the washroom while they were changing costumes during the “Rendezvous” fest organized by Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

The court had taken suo motu cognizance of a newspaper article published in the Indian Express on October 09, 2023, titled “Harassment at college fests leaves students anguished, shaken.”

The incident of secret filming happened on October 06.From the CCTV footage, the individual responsible was identified to be a part of IIT Delhi's housekeeping staff.

Counsel for Respondents: Ms. Nandita Rao, ASC (Crl.), GNCTD/R-1; Ms. Beenashaw Soni and Ms. Mansi Jain, Ms. Ann Joseph, Advocates for DU; Mr. Arjun Mitra, Advocate for IIT Delhi; Mr. Pritish Sabharwal, ASC, GGSIPU for R-5

Title: COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION v. GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI AND ORS.

Citation: 2024 LiveLaw (Del) 487

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