BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court allowed investigation in a crime registered against the management of Divyajyothi School in Maddur taluk by the mother of a Class four student, who lost vision in one eye and suffered disability assessed at 40% of the whole body, as some children are alleged to have sprayed confetti glitter inside the school bus travelling home, and it entered the boy’s eyes.
“A child who travels in a school bus, which is an extension of the school itself, cannot be left high and dry till the child from the school reaches the house even if it is the last stop.
Schools cannot show a hands-off to the responsibility of compliance with the mandate of the statute”, said Justice M Nagaprasanna while dismissing the petition filed by the school questioning the legality of the crime registered for gross negligence.
In her complaint with the Koppa police dated September 5, 2025 on the incident that occurred on August 1, 2025, the victim’s mother alleged that this tragedy was not merely the result of an isolated act of another child, but was occasioned by the negligence of the school management in failing to ensure adequate supervision inside the school bus, in failing to provide an attendant, and in failing to ensure that the CCTV camera installed in the bus was functional.
Mgmt not responsible for act after school hours: Counsel
The counsel for the school said the management cannot be held responsible for the act of another child or act that has happened inside a school bus after the hours of the school. The counsel said there was an attendant in the bus. The court, however, did not accept this contention. The precise contours of culpability, if any, can be delineated only after investigation, said the court.
The Karnataka Educational Institutions (Classification, Regulation and Prescription of Curricula, etc.,) (Amendment) Rules, 2018, regulates educational institutions, including transportation. Schools cannot violate the said mandate of the statute. A child who travels in a school bus, which is an extension of the school itself, cannot be left high and dry till the child from the school reaches the house even if it is the last stop. The schools cannot show a hands-off to the responsibility of compliance with the mandate of the statute”, the court observed.