Thaindian News

Chandigarh, July 28 (IANS) A teacher who was accused of slapping a Class 3 boy several times at the prestigious St. John’s High School here has been held guilty by a magistrate, an official said Tuesday.
Sub-divisional magistrate Niharika Rai, who was probing the case of corporal punishment at the boys’ school, submitted her report late Monday.

“I have got the final report. Now we are seeking legal opinion in this case and also told the school authorities to take appropriate action against the guilty teacher (Reema Talwar)”, Education-cum-Home Secretary Ram Niwas told IANS.

Rai recorded the statements of the victim Akshay, his classmates, their parents, the accused teacher and other teachers while probing the case.

The report has now been sent to the government’s standing counsel for legal opinion. The counsel is expected to submit its report in a couple of days, an official said.

This is probably for the first time that administration is set to move court against a teacher in a case of corporal punishment, which is banned.

Punita Singh, mother of Class 3 student Akshay, had filed a complaint with the administration July 22 that the teacher had slapped her son several times and pulled his hair as he could not recite the table of seven. She said that the teacher had also made other classmates of the boy laugh at him.

The incident took place July 18. However, the parents came to know about it July 20 when the boy suddenly broke down while studying at home.

Following the complaint from the child’s parents, an enquiry into the case was ordered by the Chandigarh administration July 23.

Accused teacher Reema Talwar said: “I am not the regular teacher of that class and on that day I was there as a substitute. I had no personal grudge with the boy and I did not slap him. I do not know why he is implicating me in this case.”