Telangana High Court Calls For Compliance Report In PIL Seeking Enforcement Of NCPCR Guidelines In Children's Hostels

The Telangana High Court has directed the State to submit a compliance report under Chapter IV Guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights ( NCPCR) Act, 2018 in a PIL seeking enforcement of the Guidelines and Regulations laid down by the Act. 

The Division Bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice N.V. Shravan Kumar asked the State to submit the said report within a period of two weeks. 

"Learned Special Government Pleader is directed to submit a compliance report as per the instructions contained in Chapter IV of Guidelines of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2018, within a period of two weeks."

The PIL was moved in August by a Hyderabad resident seeking directions from the Court for the installation of bathrooms, toilets and wardens in government hostels of the educational institutions for children and standalone hostels as per the minimum mandatory requirement ratio stipulated under Chapter-IV guidelines of the NCPCR.

It was the contention of the petitioner that despite specific guidelines and regulations laid down by the NCPCR, government-run residential educational institutions had not provided basic facilities such as bathrooms, toilets, mattresses, pillows, fire extinguishers and wardens.

When the matter was taken up on August 12, the bench had issued notice to the State Minority and Tribal Welfare Authorities and various State Minority Residential Educational Institutions in the PIL.  

On Tuesday, the petitioner filed an interlocutory application, due to incidents of food poisoning in Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, (a residential secondary school for girls run by the government) in the districts of Nizamabad, Vikharabad and Nagarkarnool on 12,13 &14 September respectively.

According to the application, the incidents left over a hundred girls sick, "suffering from severe stomach pain, headache, severe fever and lungs and respiratory and taking treatment in the hospitals of the respective districts."

The petitioner's counsel Advocate Prabhakar Chikkudu also stated that as per various other media reports, the quality of ingredients used for preparing meals was bad. The application further stated that Dr Sudarshan, Medical and Health Officer had said before the media that it was a clear case of food contamination.

The petitioner further added that with the rains coming in at full force, there has been a surge in waterborne disease. The stagnant water has also become a breeding ground for mosquitoes leading to an increase in malaria and dengue cases.

After hearing the counsel on behalf of the petitioner, the Bench directed the state to file a status report within 2 weeks.

Case Title: Keethineedi Akhil Sri Guru Teja vs. State of Telangana.

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