HC issues notice to Shimla SP on corporal punishment in BCS

Shimla, Sep 4 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh High Court today directed Shimla SP to inquire into the incident of a teacher awarding corporal punishment to a student in the last week of July and initiate action against the errant teacher.

The court, in its order, directed Shimla SP to file his personal affidavit in this regard by the next date of hearing on September 19.

The orders were passed following the August five one-page handwritten letter by the students of Bishop Cotton School (BCS), Asia's oldest public school, to the HP Chief Justice, where in they had sought his intervention in saving them from the ''inhuman activities'' of the school authorities.

Without identifying themselves, they said several other students were living in a shadow of fear and terror because of the attitude of the school management.

Taking suo motu notice of the letter, which said a student named Arjun was mercilessly beaten up by a school teacher on the first floor of the school in front of 500 students of the school, the court had directed school principal and the errant teacher to appear before it today.

The court deprecated the role of the police in getting an amicable settlement between the victimised student and the school authorities.

It also issued a contempt notice to Chotta Shimla Station House Officer (SHO) for transgressing his authority when the court was seized of the matter after he told the court that there was no substance in the complaint following a secret enquiry.

UNI XC AS DP SI PC1930