HC dismisses plea seeking govt to take over Kallakurichi school

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed for a direction to the State government to acquire the administration of a private school where a Class 12 girl died in July in the Kallakurichi district. The subsequent protest on the school premises had emerged as strapping violence.

The first bench of Acting Chief Justice T Raja and Justice D Krishnakumar passed the orders on dismissing the petition filed by ML Ravi, president of Desiya Makkal Sakthi Katchi.

The judges turned down the plea on the ground that it did not have any merits to entertain and the petitioner failed to make out a prima facie case.

According to the bench, there are thousands of private schools in the State and each of them has its own problems.

"If we order the government to take over the private schools, the State needs to compensate for the land and infrastructure. The government would be in a position to extend remuneration to teachers. Did not the petitioner think about these aspects before filing the petition, " the judges orally asked and dismissed.

The petitioner submitted that the reason for the girl’s death is yet to be known. "An investigation into both the death and violent protest is underway. In such circumstances, the school should not be handed over to the same management, putting the lives of students at risk and parents in distress,” the petitioner said in his affidavit.