📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Priyanka.priyaj
Education
Lawyer challenges state circular on POCSO applicability to school admissions
✍️ Bhaskar English
🗓 23 Oct 2026, 03:36 AM
👁 18
A lawyer has questioned a state government's circular that seeks to apply the POCSO Act to school entry procedures, while Education Minister Vaja defended its protective intent.
A legal professional has raised objections to a recently issued state circular that proposes extending the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to the process of school admissions. The lawyer argues that the circular oversteps the Act's original scope, which is designed to address sexual offences rather than administrative entry criteria.
The petitioner contended that applying POCSO provisions to school entry could create procedural ambiguities and potentially burden educational institutions with compliance requirements unrelated to the Act's core purpose. He urged the state to reconsider the wording and limit the circular to matters directly covered by the legislation.
Education Minister Vaja responded by emphasizing that the circular aims to strengthen child safety in educational settings. He clarified that the intent is not to criminalize the admission process but to ensure that schools remain vigilant against any form of sexual exploitation during enrolment.
The matter is now slated for further review by the state's legal department, with both sides awaiting a definitive clarification on how POCSO can be integrated, if at all, into school admission protocols.
The petitioner contended that applying POCSO provisions to school entry could create procedural ambiguities and potentially burden educational institutions with compliance requirements unrelated to the Act's core purpose. He urged the state to reconsider the wording and limit the circular to matters directly covered by the legislation.
Education Minister Vaja responded by emphasizing that the circular aims to strengthen child safety in educational settings. He clarified that the intent is not to criminalize the admission process but to ensure that schools remain vigilant against any form of sexual exploitation during enrolment.
The matter is now slated for further review by the state's legal department, with both sides awaiting a definitive clarification on how POCSO can be integrated, if at all, into school admission protocols.