Madhya Pradesh HC Issues Notice to State Govt Over Alleged Strip-Search Incident in School

The Madhya Pradesh High Court issued a notice to the state government on Friday (August 9) regarding an incident at a school in Indore, where some students were allegedly strip-searched by a teacher to determine who brought a mobile phone to class.

A division bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Duppala Venkata Ramana issued the notice in response to a PIL filed by social activist Chinmoy Mishra.

The notice sought a report from the Madhya Pradesh government within a week on the actions taken concerning the alleged incident.

Mishra’s lawyer, Abhinav Dhanodkar, claimed that provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act have not been adhered to, despite a police complaint being filed by parents on August 2.

The PIL seeks to ensure compliance with the POCSO Act and requests that appropriate directions be issued for prompt action in such cases. The MP HC has scheduled the matter for further hearing on August 17.

On August 2, a teacher allegedly took at least five girl students to the washroom and strip-searched them after a mobile phone rang in a classroom of a government higher secondary school. The children’s parents reported the teacher to Malharganj police station, accusing the teacher of assault during the strip-search. Following the incident, the teacher was removed from the school and reassigned to the district education office.

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