COIMBATORE: The School Education Department has revoked the Coimbatore Chief Educational Officer's (CEO) order for the compulsory retirement of an art teacher at Government Higher Secondary School in Alandurai, on the city's outskirts.
SA Rajkumar, the art teacher who exposed the sexual harassment of a girl student at the same school, was suspended by CEO R Balamurali in 2023 over allegations of dereliction of duty. Later, the CEO issued his compulsory retirement in 2024.
When Rajkumar appealed against the CEO's compulsory retirement to the Joint Director (JD) Personnel of the School Education Department, the latter stated in an order on June 6, 2025, that the CEO, against whom the petitioner had made charges, had acted as the inquiry officer for Rajkumar.
The compulsory retirement of the art teacher given by the CEO is considered an improper action based on his inquiry report. The art teacher's compulsory retirement has been revoked, but his suspension will continue, the JD's letter said.
The CEO has been directed to appoint a new inquiry officer to investigate the allegations against the art teacher. According to sources, in 2023, a girl student from the school told the art teacher that a Physical Education (PE) teacher had harassed her sexually.
Despite the student giving a written complaint to the headmistress, no action was taken. The headmistress and other teachers allegedly covered up the complaint in a bid to help the PE teacher. After he exposed this, the police arrested the PE teacher in December 2023. The art teacher was suspended the same month, with the claim that his activities were severely hampering the institution's integrity.
Moreover, the present CEO did not take any action against the headmistress and teachers. Following this, the art teacher frequently complained to the district collector and the Superintendent of Police (Rural) Coimbatore District's office, seeking legal action against them for covering up the student's complaint. He charged the CEO for failing to take departmental action against them.
Meanwhile, the police registered a Pocso case against six teachers, including the headmistress, for covering up the student's complaint last year. Later, the headmistress was suspended, and five teachers were transferred to another school. Meanwhile, based on the complaint, the CEO gave compulsory retirement to the art teacher over the allegation of giving a media interview, and giving petitions on grievances day by skipping classes, sources added.