Ryan International School murder : SC issues notices to Haryana Govt and Centre

The top court says it will look into the safety of students in schools across India, giving 3 weeks to the Ministry of Human Resources and the Haryana Government to reply.

The apex court has given 3 weeks for both bodies to reply.

The Supreme Court further sought a response from CBSE on a plea seeking framing of guidelines to fix responsibility of schools on issue of children’s safety.

The notice came just a few hours after the court had agreed to hear the petition of Varun Thakur, the seven-year-old student, who was found murdered inside the schools' washroom on Friday last with his throat slit.

Meanwhile, Ryan School CEO Ryan Pinto filed a petition with the Bombay High Court seeking  anticipatory bail  after a Haryana police team reached Mumbai to question him.

The school's acting Principal Neerja Batra had to be hospitalised after she complained illness during interrogation while police on Sunday night arrested the school's two top officials- northern zone head Francis Thomas and  HR head Jeyus Thomas. They have been booked under section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.

In his petition filed in the Supreme Court, the deceased boy's father  has alleged security lapses on the part of the school authorities as one of the reasons for the death of his son.

The petition filed on Monday has also asked for comprehensive guidelines for all schools so that such an incident was not repeated.

His petition, in the form of a Public Interest Litigation, said, “... My only wish is that the truth should come out and justice given to my wife and me.  I am not happy with the police investigation, and I want a detailed investigation as there is something which is missing in the probe. There are a lot of loopholes which need to be investigated and the CBI can do in-depth investigation which will clear the motive of the murder."

The petitioner also alleged that the investigation  is being "influenced by someone who does not want the truth to come out."

Meanwhile, media reports said that  Bihar Chief Minister  Nitish Kumar talked to the victim's family over  phone and called Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, who assured his Bihar counterpart that an impartial and fast probe was being conducted.

All Ryan group of schools in Gurgaon have been ordered to remain shut on Monday and Tuesday on the directions of the district administration.

Police had on Friday night arrested the accused, Ashok Kumar, a 42-year-old bus conductor, who reportedly confessed to have committed the crime after failing to sexually abuse the child.

According to reports, not all the installed surveillance camera is functional inside the school.

Workers and students shared the same toilet and the school did zilch in terms of background check while recruiting a staff.

Parents,  who have been on demonstration outside the school, have demanded action against school authorities, especially after police revealed that Kumar was fired from a private school in his village Ghamroj because of his suspicious behaviour.

Police lathicharged a crowd on Sunday after a demonstration reportedly turned violent.

According to the media report, police said that force was the only option as the agitators had become violent, and even damaged the cameras of some photojournalists during the protest.