The Delhi High Court on Thursday, May 1, issued notices to the chief secretary of Delhi and the Delhi Police, after a plea accused the authorities of failing to implement a comprehensive mechanism for handling bomb threats in schools.
Justice Anish Dayal called the issue "serious" and said it demanded urgent attention, particularly as hoax bomb threats had become increasingly frequent, causing significant distress to children, their parents, and educational institutions, according to the report by The New Indian Express.
The petition claimed that the authorities had disregarded the court's order from November 14, 2024, which had directed the formulation of a detailed action plan and standard operating procedure (SOP) to deal with bomb threats. The court had given the authorities eight weeks to put this plan in place.
Justice Dayal directed an update on the issue on Thursday, May 1, and scheduled the next hearing for May 19, when officials from the government and police are expected to appear in court.
The petitioner, Advocate Arpit Bhargava, accused the Delhi government and police of neglecting their duties in responding to the repeated bomb threat emails targeting schools. He pointed out that the eight-week deadline had expired on January 14, 2025, but no action plan or SOP had been provided.
Advocate Beenashaw N Soni, who represented the petitioner, emphasised that the authorities' failure to act showed a disregard for the court's orders and demonstrated inefficiency in addressing a matter of public safety.
"The court's directions were intended to ensure the protection of schoolchildren and educational institutions in case of bomb threats or similar emergencies," she said.
The plea argued that the ongoing failure of the respondents to comply with the court's directives has left the educational environment in Delhi vulnerable to repeated bomb threats.
"Whether or not the threats are genuine, they create panic among students, staff, and parents. The absence of a standardised protocol for response and preventative measures endangers the safety and mental well-being of thousands of children in the capital," it further said.
The petitioner called for punitive action under the Contempt of Court Act and requested that the court impose a cost of litigation in favour of the petitioner and against the authorities.The court's November 2024 order had stated that the SOP should clearly define the roles of all involved parties, including law enforcement, school authorities, and municipal bodies, to ensure efficient coordination and implementation of the plan, as per the report by The New Indian Express.
The court also acknowledged that bomb hoaxes, especially those originating from advanced sources like the dark web and VPNs, were not a unique problem to Delhi or India, but were part of a global challenge faced by law enforcement agencies worldwide.
In previous submissions, Delhi Police had revealed the presence of five bomb disposal squads and 18 bomb detection teams across over 4,600 schools in the city.
