The Delhi High Court (HC) has closed suo moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the safety and security of students, particularly female attendees, during events and festivals organised by Delhi’s higher educational institutes.
This comes after the court was informed by the Delhi Police counsel that a standard operating procedure (SOP) has been drafted, to be followed by universities and colleges while organising events or festivals. This SOP will ensure the safety and security of students, in general, and female students in particular.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora closed the suo-moto PIL, which was initiated last year based on a newspaper article, after incidents of female students being secretly filmed in the washroom while they were changing costumes during the Rendezvous fest organised by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, came to light.
The incident occurred on October 6, and the accused, a member of IIT Delhi's housekeeping staff, was identified via CCTV footage, reported IANS.
The PIL was concluded after the counsels from institutions such as Delhi University, IIT Delhi, and Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) assured the court that they would adhere to the SOP outlined by the Delhi Police, in addition to complying with any directives or advisories issued by law enforcement authorities.
The court said that any future revisions to the SOP would require the consent of all parties involved, IANS added.
SOP for colleges, police personnel
The SOPs presented at the Delhi High Court, which were drafted by the Delhi Police through extensive deliberations with representatives from IIT Delhi, Delhi University (DU) and GGIPS University, lay down comprehensive guidelines and protocols to be followed by colleges, universities and security personnel while organising any festival or event.
The draft submitted to the Delhi HC includes 30-pointer protocols for the college authorities. Some of these include:
- Entry through college ID cards exclusively
- Limited number of pre-approved guests/audience
- Earmarked gates for entry and exit
- Adequate lighting in parking areas
- Restrooms with private security guards
- CCTV surveillance and more
It also includes protocols to be followed by the local police during college festivals.
