CUTTACK: Expressing concern over recurring deaths and injuries of school children due to collapsing structures on government school premises, the Orissa High Court has directed the state to strictly implement safety guidelines and submit a report on the measures taken.
A division bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice Chittaranjan Dash issued the direction while hearing a PIL filed by human rights activist and advocate Prabir Kumar Das. The web copy of the order was made available on Monday.
The court noted that the PIL was prompted by recent incidents in which schoolchildren suffered serious casualties after concrete plaques and boundary walls collapsed. It stressed the need for periodic structural safety audits of government schools, colleges and universities and timely intervention to prevent recurrence.
“Though the government has awarded compensation but it would not give a solace to a bereaved family, who lost the child. Ensuring safety and security of children was not merely a constitutional obligation but also required adequate measures to strengthen educational infrastructure,” the bench observed, emphasising that children must receive education within the safety net.
During hearing, the state government submitted that the project director, Odisha School Education Programme Authority has issued instructions to all collectors for conducting school safety activities and safety audits in their respective jurisdictions on August 1 this year.
The court took the August 1 instructions on record and directed the authorities to “act strictly in terms thereof” and submit a report on steps taken under the Indicative Guideline on School Safety. The matter will next be heard on September 3.
The PIL cited several incidents, including the death of Class III student Premanand Bhatara and critical injuries to Shiba Bhatara in Koraput on December 17, 2025, after a concrete plaque collapsed. A Class I student Abhir Lohar died in Mayurbhanj two days later in a similar incident. In Gajapati, Class IV student Idanti Raita and Class V student Beckles Raita died on April 15, after a school gate wall collapsed.