Court awards damages to caned schoolboy
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in India recommended that the Delhi government pay compensation of Rs 25,000 to a Class VII student who was subjected to ‘unreasonable corporal punishment’ in school in 2013, the Indian Express reported.
The National
Human Rights Commission (NHRC) recommended that the Delhi government pay
compensation of Rs 25,000 to a Class VII student who was subjected to
“unreasonable corporal punishment” in a government school in 2013.
The incident
dates back to November 23, 2013, when the principal of the government-run
Sarvodaya Vidyalaya at Lancer Road in North Delhi had allegedly beaten a boy,
Aman, with a stick, injuring both his wrists. An inquiry revealed, however, that
there were no fractures, the commission observed.
On the day of
the incident, according to records before the NHRC, Aman’s class teacher had
punished him and two others by making them stand up on the bench for not
bringing their textbooks. Principal of the school Virender Singh Meena was then
on his rounds and asked the teacher why the boys were made to stand on the
bench. After he was told that they had not brought their textbooks, Meena
allegedly hit Aman on his hands with a stick.
Aman and his
mother then filed a complaint against the principal at the Timarpur police
station. As an immediate measure, the principal was transferred to another
school and a department inquiry was initiated against him. A separate complaint
was filed before the NHRC by an activist.
According to
NHRC officials, the principal was arrested on the day of the incident and
charged in February 2014.
The Delhi
government had contended that since the police too had taken criminal action
against the principal for beating the boy, “the award of monetary relief would
not be appropriate”.
NHRC, however,
observed “it is an established fact that the victim was subjected to
unreasonable corporal punishment and thereby his human rights were violated.”
As published
in the Indian Express, 22 April 2015.
Picture
credit: Unknown.
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