'HMs, teachers can't be blamed for students’ suicide without evidence'

CHENNAI: Justice SM Subramaniam of the Madras High Court ruled that whenever a case of suicide is found, parents are not expected to blame the teachers and headmasters alone in the absence of any evidences. The judge held that general blaming or causing dis-reputation would affect the image of the school as well.

The above observations were made by Justice Subramaniam while he was dismissing a petition filed one Kala from Ooty. The petitioner alleged that her son who was studying Class 12 in Gudalur Higher Secondary School killed himself due to the torture of the school headmaster Robert in 2017.

The petitioner sought a direction to the Chief Education Officer, Ooty to initiate departmental action against Robert, HM of Gudalur Government Higher Secondary School and and consequently direct the secretary to education department and state public department secretary to pay a sum of Rs.10 lakh compensation.

When the matter was taken up the judge opined that the attempt to kill self and succeeding in the said attempt by the children are in growing trend across the country.

“The practice of defaming the headmasters and teachers in general at all circumstances cannot be accepted. It is the duty of the parents as well as the teachers to ascertain the reasons and perform their respective duties as expected and create conducive circumstances for providing better future to the child, ” the judge added.

The court dismissed the petition observing that the investigations conducted by the school education department and police authorities revealed that the HM is not liable for any prosecution.