The Madras High Court was informed on Thursday by the Tamil Nadu government that the Krishnagiri District Educational Officer (DEO) has recommended the appointment of a Special Officer to oversee a school in Krishnagiri. This comes in the wake of allegations that several girls were sexually abused at a counterfeit National Cadet Corps (NCC) camp held at the school.
The recommendation was part of a report filed by Advocate General P S Raman, following an earlier court directive to detail actions taken against the school involved. The report, authored by C K Gopalappa, DEO Krishnagiri, mentioned that the appointment of the Special Officer is under active consideration.
The court’s first bench, consisting of Acting Chief Justice D Krishnakumar and Justice P B Balaji, has scheduled further hearing of the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by advocate A P Suryaprakasam for September 12. In his petition, Suryaprakasam requested that the investigation be transferred from the local police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure a thorough investigation and to reassure the public and parents that the safety of schoolchildren is a priority.
In response to the incident, the school was issued a show cause notice and subsequently asked to explain its actions; however, the response provided was deemed unsatisfactory. “The incident that occurred is completely unlawful and detrimental to the safety of the students,” stated Gopalappa in his report.
Additionally, Jayashree Muralidharan, Chairperson of the Multi-Disciplinary Team formed by the government, submitted a status report. Her findings included details of enquiries conducted with students, parents, and teachers from four schools, counseling provided to affected students, and other welfare measures implemented. According to her report, the Special Court (Mahila Fast Track) has awarded interim compensation to 10 survivors, with two receiving Rs 50,000 each and the remaining eight Rs 30,000 each.
