Daijiworld Media Network – Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Jul 8: The high court (HC) has observed that teachers have no authority to slap or kick children in schools and said that no teacher should resort to such acts.

The observation was made by a single-judge bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna while hearing a petition filed by a Mangaluru-based teacher seeking to quash a criminal case registered against her for allegedly assaulting a schoolgirl.

During the hearing, the court questioned the petitioner, asking, "Why did you hit the child?" The bench remarked that no teacher has the authority to assault children and said, "We will not let such people go."

Although the petitioner's counsel attempted to offer an explanation, the court declined to hear the justification, issued a notice to the government, and adjourned the hearing.

It may be recalled, the case was registered at the Surathkal police station in Mangaluru based on a complaint filed by the mother of a six-year-old student.

According to the complaint, the same teacher had allegedly assaulted the child on an earlier occasion, following which the girl's mother had informed the school management. The school management and the principal had then held discussions and resolved the matter.

However, the mother alleged that despite the earlier intervention, the teacher again assaulted her daughter with a stick on January 30. She informed the school management about the incident.

Although one member of the school management denied the allegation, a fellow student who was questioned reportedly confirmed that the assault had taken place.

Based on these allegations, the complainant sought legal action against the teacher. Acting on the complaint, the police registered a case against the teacher under the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act.

The teacher has approached the high court seeking the quashing of the criminal proceedings.