Delhi govt will have to pay relief to student locked behind in classroom: NHRC

New Delhi: Delhi government will have to pay monetary relief to a class VI student who was left locked behind inside his school here due to negligence by a teacher, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has reiterated in an order.

NHRC has asked the Delhi Chief Secretary to pay Rs 10,000 as relief to the victim and to send it the proof of payment along with a compliance report within four weeks.

The matter pertains to a case that occurred at a Senior Secondary School in Mukherjee Nagar on July 27, 2014.

In response to the NHRC's initial notice, the government had enumerated the steps taken by it in this regard, including departmental action in the form of suspension of the negligent teacher and initiation of a case for issuance of charge-sheet.

"Therefore, NHRC may not impose any monetary relief on the Directorate of Education," the government had said.

However, the commission said that it "did not agree with the response to its show cause notice by Delhi government... (and) held that 'the monetary relief is recommended by it under Section 18 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, in cases where violation of human rights is established'".

"Rather than being an imposition on the state, it is more in the nature of a succour to the victim of violation of human rights... It (NHRC) appreciates the corrective steps taken by the school, but is unable to accede to the request of the state to abstain from recommending monetary relief," the Commission said.