BHOPAL: In a setback to the Congress government in Madhya Pradesh, the MP High Court on Wednesday stayed the suspension of a high school principal over distribution of notebooks containing picture of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in the concerned school.
Hearing a writ petition filed by the government school’s Principal RN Kerawat challenging the January 13, order of his suspension, a single-judge bench in Indore stayed the operation of the impugned order.
While hearing the petition, Justice SC Sharma, observed: “The learned counsel for the state has argued that the order (suspension order) is an appealable order, but the fact remains that the petitioner has been suspended only because notebooks containing photographs of a freedom fighter were distributed in the school by an NGO.”
“Prima facie, the order (suspension order) appears to be bad in law. If notebooks containing photographs of a freedom fighterS have been distributed it is certainly not a misconduct. Resultantly, the operation of the impugned order dated January 13, 2010 is stayed. The petitioner shall be allowed to continue as Principal, as this court has stayed the order of suspension,” the HC observed further.
The HC also directed the state government to file a reply on the petition in four weeks and listed the matter for next hearing on March 30, 2020.
On January 13, RN Kerawat, the President Award winner principal of a government high school in Malwasa area of Ratlam district was suspended for allowing distribution of notebooks containing pictures and life story of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar among Class IX and X students of the school.
He allowed the distribution of the notebooks without seeking prior permission of his higher-ups, which irked his seniors.
The notebooks were distributed among the students of the school on November 4, 2019, by a local NGO Veer Savarkar Janhitartha Samiti. The issue had triggered a political controversy in the state.