‘Boys need to be sensitised from tender age’: Bombay HC on gender equality

The Bombay high court on Tuesday said that boys need to be educated about gender equality and sensitised, and their mindset needs to be changed.
Observing that male dominance and chauvinism persist in society and, hence, boys need to be taught from a young age about right and wrong behaviour, the division bench of justice Revati Mohite Dere and justice Prithiviraj Chavan suggested setting up of a committee to study the issue and make recommendations to avoid such incidents in future.
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The court was hearing a plea taken up suo motu (on its own) following an uproar over the sexual assault on two 4-year-old girls in a pre-primary school in Badlapur East by a janitor. The incident has triggered widespread protests across the state.
The court said the education department should step in to ensure children are taught about gender equality and gender sensitisation from the pre-primary level itself. “Male dominance and male chauvinism are still there. Until we teach our children at home about equality, nothing will happen. Until then, all these laws like Nirbhaya will not work,” the bench said.
“We always speak about girls. Why don’t we teach boys what is right and wrong? We need to change the mindset of boys when they are young. Teach them to respect women,” the judges said, asserting that proper awareness was required.
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The court suggested setting up of a committee comprising of a retired judge, a retired police officer, a retired principal, a woman IPS officer, and a member of the Child Welfare Committee, to study the issue and recommend rules and guidelines to be followed in schools to avoid such incidents in future.
During Tuesday’s hearing on the matter, the judges again expressed displeasure with the initial handling of the probe by the Badlapur police and said the police ought to have shown some sensitivity.
“One of the girls and her family were asked to come to the police station to record their statement. The Badlapur police did not even attempt to record the statement at their house. There has been a serious lapse in the investigation by the Badlapur police,” said the judges.
Advocate General (AG) Birendra Saraf said that three police officers have been suspended. The advocate general added that the accused has been married thrice and the statements of his wives have been recorded. Responding to a court query about CCTV footage from the school premises, he said the hard disk has been retrieved and is being examined.
The bench also expressed displeasure that a male doctor had initially examined the girls.
Education officer seeks stay on suspension
The education officer from Thane on Tuesday moved the high court seeking a stay on his suspension in the light of the alleged sexual abuse of two girls at a school in Badlapur, claiming the government order was politically motivated and he was made a scapegoat. The officer, Balasaheb Rakshe, urged the court to stay the suspension order pending a final hearing of his petition before the Maharashtra Administrative Tribunal (MAT) which refused him interim relief on August 26. He requested the HC to restrain the state government from appointing any other officer in the post.