MADURAI: Choosing a unique approach in a joint compromise plea which sought to quash a criminal case involving desecration of a wall poster of social reformer B R Ambedkar by two youths in Sivaganga in 2018, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court not only ensured that the duo genuinely regretted their actions, it also directed the state government to include Ambedkar’s life history and achievements in the school curriculum from the academic year 2027-2028 onwards.
Justice L Victoria Gowri, who passed the order, recalled that when she asked the two youths, aged 26 and 29, as to whether they knew who Ambedkar was, their response revealed that though they were vaguely aware that he was a legal luminary, they had no real understanding of his life or contributions he made to Indian society.
“Dr B R Ambedkar cannot be viewed through the narrow prism of caste sentiment alone. He belongs to the constitutional soul of India. To insult his image is not merely an offence to a section of people; it amounts to exhibiting indifference towards the very values of justice, liberty, equality and fraternity on which the Republic is founded,” she opined.
To ensure that the two men understood this, the judge, on December 19, 2025, had ordered the duo to purchase 101 copies each of a Tamil book on the life history of Ambedkar.
They were directed to read the book themselves and after retaining one copy each, distribute the rest of the 100 copies among Class X, XI and XII students studying in Murugappa Government Higher Secondary School in T Kallupatti and submit an acknowledgment from the school headmaster, adding that the court would also be conducting an oral test to check if they truly read and understood the nobility and contributions of the leader. They were also ordered to pay Rs 5,000 each to the Adyar Cancer Institute in Chennai.
When the case was taken up again in January, an oral test was conducted for the youths in camera and 30 questions were asked. After being satisfied that the duo had undergone a genuine process of reflection and expressed visible shame and remorse over their actions, the judge decided to quash the case by accepting the compromise entered into by the youths and the complainant.
Further observing that the state needs to be reminded that constitutional literacy is not an ornamental aspiration but is part of the state’s social responsibility, the judge directed the chief secretary and school education secretary to ensure that Ambedkar’s life history, his role in framing the Constitution, freedom movement, etc., are included in the curriculum of Class III to X students in state syllabus.
“The true tribute to Dr Ambedkar lies not merely in statues and ceremonies, but in ensuring that every child in this state knows why he matters to India,” the judge observed, and posted the case to January 21, 2027, directing the government to file a report on the steps taken to comply with the order.
