CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has rejected a PIL plea for a directive to the Union and State Education ministries to install closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) in all public and private schools and other educational institutions.
Since a decision had already been taken against installing CCTVs in schools, any further directive to the authorities concerned to take a decision would be an exercise in futility, the court said. However, the dismissal of the PIL will not prevent the authorities from taking any decision for installing the facility.
In her PIL, M Kalaichelvi felt that the presence of CCTVs would help prevent sexual and other forms of harassment of school children. The court observed that the cost of CCTVs in private institutions would ultimately be passed on to students, who would have to pay higher fees, and dismissed the petition.