Clarify if any law bans minors from political events: HC to TN govt

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court directed the State to respond to whether any law prohibits minors from participating in or witnessing political campaigns, road shows, or any other public event.

Without any untoward incident happening, how can a district child protection officer set the law in motion, Justice G Jayachandran wondered while hearing a petition preferred by a private school to quash the case registered against the institution.

S Pukal Vadivu, the headmaster of Sai Baba Vidyalayam Middle School, Mettupalayam Road, Coimbatore, filed the petition seeking to quash the case registered for taking school students in uniform to the Prime Minister’s roadshow held on March 18 in Coimbatore.

The government advocate submitted that the school made some juvenile students stand in the huge crowd and they suffered physically and mentally. Hence section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 is attracted, said the advocate.

The judge asked to place the material evidence to establish that the students suffered physically and mentally. The judge wondered how the action of the school led to a violation of section 75, despite no complaints received from any parents. In the present case the students went to the roadshow outside the school campus after school time, then how can the police prosecute the school management, judge asked.

If the students went to the show voluntarily or under the parents’ guidance which is different but in the present case the students were under the control and custody of the teachers and headmaster, said the government advocate.