Education
High Court Orders Haryana Schools to Enforce Anti-Bullying Guidelines for LGBTQIA+ Students
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has instructed the Haryana Department of School Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education to ensure that all schools within the court’s jurisdiction follow the Supreme Court’s Sukdeb Saha guidelines. The court requires that each school’s internal committee and mechanisms address complaints of bullying and harassment based on gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation.
The order followed a petition filed by the mother of a 16‑year‑old boy who died on February 24, 2022. The boy attended a prominent Faridabad school and was allegedly bullied, physically and sexually assaulted, and misunderstood by peers because of his artistic interests. The mother requested new guidelines for sensitising authorities and institutions to protect LGBTQIA+ students and asked for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
The court noted that the Supreme Court had already recognized the crisis of student deaths and issued binding guidelines. It rejected the request for new guidelines but emphasized that existing guidelines were ineffective when not implemented. The court observed that the CBSE 2015 circular was in force during the boy’s alleged suffering and that the school had been informed of his condition by his mother and psychologist.
The court directed the Haryana School Education Department to ensure complaints of bullying are handled promptly and confidentially, and that cases involving cognisable offences are reported to the police. It also ordered CBSE to call for and scrutinise the annual reports required by Supreme Court guidelines and to take appropriate action if schools fail to comply.
Individuals in distress can seek help and counselling by calling helplines linked in the court’s order. Published – November 05, 2026 03:33 am IST