HC declines to interfere in teacher's suspension

The Madras High court today upheld the suspension of a government high school teacher for inducing students to drink by giving them cash.
Justice S Vaidhyanathan of the Madurai Bench of the High Court said that according to school officials the petitioner, Rajagopalan, graduate assistant teacher of government high school at Mukkannamalaipatti in Pudukottai district, had a link to the incident in which 10th standard students had taken alcohol and this resulted in their hospitalisation.
The government's Joint Director of Education (Personnel) submitted that the petitioner had some connection with the incident and suspension was necessary in public interest.
The judge said suspension was not a punishment and there was no permanent cessation of employer-employee relationship. Besides, officials would have to "establish full-fledged inquiry."

The Joint Director as an employer was empowered to suspend the teacher. The petitioner also had not questioned the competency of the authority to suspend him. Besides, he had been given subsistence allowance.
However, the judge said the inquiry and other formalities should be completed in one year.

Seeking a direction to revoke his supension, the teacher said students asked him for a loan for organising a function and he had given them Rs.500 to purchase cake and mixture. He had no knowledge about the consumption of alcohol by the students and he was not responsible.
The judge, citing a quote of Mahatma Gandhi, said a teacher could not be without character. "If he lacks it, he will be like salt without its savour as boys imbibe more from the teacher's own life than they do from the books. If the teachers imparted all the knowledge in the world to their students but do not inculcate the truth and purity amongst them, they will have betrayed it."

"Former President Radhakrishnan said teachers' conduct should be exemplary. "He must inspire the students who are entrusted to his care with love of virtue and goodness, the judge said, declining to interfere in the suspension order.