The National Human Rights Commission has issued notices to the Andhra Pradesh Principal Secretary of School Education, the District Magistrate, and the Superintendent of Police, Annamayya District, directing them to submit an Action Taken Report within two weeks in a shocking case of alleged sexual abuse of nearly 30 minor girl students by a government school teacher, Zakir Basha Shaik.
Taking cognizance under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, the bench presided by Hon’ble Member Shri Priyank Kanoongo found the allegations made in the complaint prima facie constitute violations of the human rights of the victims.
The Complaint: 30 Girls Abused, Accused Teacher Absconding, Officials Complicit
The complaint, filed on February 6 by NGO watchdog Legal Rights Protection Forum, Hyderabad, alleges that Zakir Basha Shaik, a Biology teacher at Zilla Parishad High School, Tarigonda Village, Gurrankonda Mandal, Annamayya District, sexually harassed nearly 30 minor girl students.
According to the complaint, the abuse included inappropriate physical contact and kissing of the children’s private parts. Enclosed video footage shows victim girls providing firsthand accounts of the abuse, appearing visibly traumatized and pleading for strict action against the accused.
The complaint alleges that when parents initially approached the school Headmaster, he failed to inform the police as mandated under Section 19 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012, instead escalating the matter internally to higher educational authorities — a statutory violation attracting criminal liability under Section 21 of the POCSO Act.
The District Educational Officer, despite receiving information relating to sexual offences against minors, reportedly issued only a notice to the Headmaster and failed to report the matter to the District Collector or police, constituting further dereliction of statutory duty.
An FIR has now been registered by Gurrankonda Police, but the complaint states the accused is absconding.
The complaint made serious allegations of active obstruction of justice and alleged that local political figures were pressuring parents to prevent them from lodging formal complaints with police, describing this as conduct that struck at the very foundation of rule of law and undermines the child protection framework.
The complaint detailed several grave violations, including sexual offences against minors under the POCSO Act, failure of mandatory reporting by the Headmaster, punishable under Section 21, dereliction of duty by the District Educational Officer, intimidation of victims’ families amounting to obstruction of justice, alleged political interference in a criminal investigation, and gross violation of the fundamental rights of children to safety, dignity, and education.
NHRC Directs Action, Sets Two-Week Deadline
Taking serious note of the allegations, the NHRC bench directed that the Registry issue notices to the Principal Secretary of the Department of School Education, Government of Andhra Pradesh, as well as to the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police of Annamayya district, instructing them to have the allegations inquired into and to submit an Action Taken Report within two weeks for the Commission’s perusal.
Officials further stated that the authorities had been directed to submit copies of the report to the Commission through the HRCNet Portal, with the Commission specifying that reports sent via email would not be entertained.
Institutional Failure and the POCSO Act
Section 19 of the POCSO Act imposes a mandatory obligation upon any person who has apprehension that an offence under the Act has been committed to report the matter to the Special Juvenile Police Unit or local police, legal experts said. Failure to do so is punishable under Section 21 with imprisonment of up to one year or fine or both, they added.
The complaint alleged that both the Headmaster and the District Educational Officer, despite being responsible public authorities in receipt of specific information regarding sexual offences against minors, failed to comply with this statutory requirement.
The District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, Annamayya, along with the Principal Secretary, School Education Department, have been directed to inquire into the allegations and submit their Action Taken Report within two weeks, by 23 February 2026, the Commission said.
The NHRC made clear that failure to comply with reporting mandates under the POCSO Act constituted a serious human rights violation attracting accountability, officials stated.
The accused teacher remains absconding, the complainant said. Thirty minor girls await justice, while officials who allegedly failed them face scrutiny, the Commission’s intervention has established.
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