He informed that School Education Minister Partha Dey had discussed the issue of corporal punishment with his ministry officers on July 27 and that a decision had been taken on the introduction of the new rule. It was in compliance with an order passed two weeks ago that Dhar on Friday submitted to a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice J N Patel an expert opinion report on the need to to stop corporal punishment in schools.

During the hearing, the Division Bench said that the media had an important role to play in creating awareness against corporal punishment.

Dhar had discussed the issue with Dr. Sukanta Chatterjee, Professor and Head of Pediatrics of the Adolescent Health Clinic, Medical College, Kolkata. According to the report, Dr Chatterjee had suggested the framing of a new law to eliminate corporal punishment from schools.