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The Kerala High Court stayed the suspension of a school teacher from Kasaragod who was suspended after a quiz question identified VD Savarkar as the freedom fighter who received the “maximum punishment” from the British. The suspension has been kept in abeyance for a month.
Justice Viju Abraham passed the interim order on Wednesday, August 19, while hearing a petition filed by K Guruprasad Rai, a teacher at AUP School Pallathadukka. The court, however, permitted the disciplinary proceedings initiated against him to continue.
“I'm inclined to pass an interim order staying the operation of...order of suspension for a period of one month. But I'm permitting the disciplinary proceedings to continue,” the order said.
The controversy began after an inter-school Social Science Club Freedom Quiz held in Kasaragod on August 6. One of the questions asked which freedom fighter had received the maximum punishment from the British, with VD Savarkar given as the answer.
Rai questioned the legality of the suspension and the disciplinary proceedings initiated following an inquiry by the education authorities.
The teacher had been suspended on August 9 following the controversy over the question. The General Education Department had ordered an inquiry, after which the Deputy Director of Education, Kasaragod, recommended action against those responsible for preparing the quiz.
The dispute had quickly become political. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] criticised the question and accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government of facilitating the saffronisation of education. Pinarayi Vijayan had alleged that the attempt to portray Savarkar in a particular manner was part of a larger political agenda.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the other hand, came out in support of the teacher and opposed his suspension. BJP Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar had described the question as historically accurate and demanded that the suspension be withdrawn.
The High Court's interim order does not put an end to the departmental action against Rai. While his suspension has been stayed for one month, the authorities can continue their inquiry into the circumstances in which the disputed question was prepared.
The court will hear the matter again on September 18.
