A Case of Juvenile Justice: A Child was punished for Bed Wetting

RamalingamStarred Page By Ramalingam, 10th Jul 2012 | Follow this author | RSS Feed | Short URL http://nut.bz/36ysm-l8/
Posted in Wikinut>News>Crime

It is unfortunate that a teacher did not understand that bed wetting is quite natural and in the case of girl children bed wetting is an ailment that requires medical treatment from a specialist.Hence, the child who was punished by the teacher for bed wetting needs Juvenile Justice.

Vulnerable Democracy



Though democracy is an ideal form of governance, still the citizens living in a democracy can not take it for granted and they cannot remain rest assured that their rights are guaranteed, despite the existence and functioning of legislature, executive, judiciary and the press as the four pillars of democracy.

While any citizen living in a democracy is vulnerable, the children are no exception.

Girl Child punished for bed wetting



Recently, in Shanthiniketan, a famous educational institution established by Rabindranath Tagore in Kolkatta, the rough handling of a girl child by the hostel warden demanded juvenile justice.

The girl child was just ten years old and an inmate of the hostel. When she committed bed wetting, the hostel warden punished her rather cruelly and unusually. She ordered the girl child to drink her own urine. Another complaint says that the teacher ordered the girl child to lick the bed which she had bed wetted.

Due to the cruel punishment meted out to her, the girl child fell ill. When the parents of the girl child came to know about the ill-treatment meted out to their daughter, they got infuriated and rushed to the school only to attack the hostel warden for her reckless behavior and inhuman treatment of their daughter. Going a step further, the girl child’s parents preferred a complaint in the police station against the school warden. The school authorities in turn filed a complaint against the parents of the girl child. The police arrested both the teacher and the parents of the child and later they were let off on bail.

It requires Juvenile Justice

When the above case came up for trial, the trial judge blamed the police authorities for framing only mild charges under the sections of Indian Penal Code against the accused and also questioned why the police authorities did not book her under the Juvenile Justice Act.

Whatever must be the verdict of the above case, it is a pathetic case. It is hard to understand, how a women (the hostel warden) failed to understand that bed wetting is quite natural and that too in the case of girl children, each girl child might have her own physical problems for such bed wetting. Even matured adult and aged people too have the habit of bed wetting. In fact, bed wetting is a kind of ailment that requires a medical treatment from a specialist. It is quite disgusting that such haughty and imperious teachers were not aware of it.

However, an injustice has been meted out to the hapless girl child that committed no crime but only bed wetting.Hence, the child's case should be dealt with under the appropriate provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act and it should serve as a lesson to other ignorant people.

Tags

Adults, Bedwetting, Girl Child, Punished, Shantiniketan, Trial, Warden

Meet the author

author avatar Ramalingam
I am a freelancer and practicing lawyer.I am interested in writing articles with special reference to legal topics, history and society.

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Comments

author avatar Jerry Walch
10th Jul 2012 (#)

Perhaps these women were ignorant of the causes of bed wetting, but ignorance is no excuse for their inhumane treatment of the little girl involved in this case. What would be a just punishment for them? Barring them from ever teaching or running a hostel ever again...that would be just. Sentencing them to jail time for child abuse...that would be just too. having them drink their own urine as part of their punishment...that too, in my opinion, would be just punishment.

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author avatar stevetheblogger
10th Jul 2012 (#)

A Truly wonderful article outlining a very common ailment.As a Father of five children (all grown up now. I hope this teacher never gets within a 100 miles of young kids again.
Best Wishes
stevetheblogger

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author avatar Ramalingam
10th Jul 2012 (#)

Thanks Jerry and Steve for your appropriate remedies.

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author avatar A K Rao
13th Jul 2012 (#)

I have seen about this incident on TV! I shun the activity of the warden! She behaved in absolutely inhumane manner! Thanks for the nice article dear Ramalingam!

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author avatar Madan G Singh
13th Jul 2012 (#)

Very good expose. India has a long way to go.

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author avatar Ramalingam
13th Jul 2012 (#)

Thanks for reading and commenting.

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author avatar Md Rezaul Karim
14th Jul 2012 (#)

Seems like the teacher has never been a child!

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author avatar Ramalingam
14th Jul 2012 (#)

You are right Md.She has directly come down from Hell.

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author avatar cnwriter
14th Jul 2012 (#)

so terrible that anyone can do such things..thanks for bringing this out Ramalingam

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author avatar SaDiE
18th Feb 2013 (#)

Thankfully mummy would hug me when I had a pp accident while sleeping....

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