HC extends protection to school management over case relating to PM’s Coimbatore roadshow

PTI, Apr 5, 2024, 3:26 PM IST

The Madras High Court has extended the protection against any ”coercive action” by the Coimbatore City Police against a private school management over a case filed in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow held there recently. The school management had been booked by the police relating to the presence of school children during the PM’s event in the western TN city on March 18.

In his interim order on Thursday, Justice G Jayachandran said, ”the protective order not to take coercive action passed by this Court on March 28, 2024 shall continue until further orders”.

The court also posed a list of queries while hearing a petition filed by the headmistress of the middle school, which sought to quash the First Information Report registered on March 19 on the basis of a complaint lodged by the District Child Protection Officer.

The queries include the one as to how section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Care and Protection of Children Act would attract in the present case. Section 75 deals with punishment for cruelty to child–whoever having the actual charge of or control over a child, assaults, abandons, abuses, exposes or willfully neglects the child or causes or procures the child to be assaulted, abandoned, abused, exposed or neglected in a manner likely to cause such child unnecessary mental or physical suffering shall be punishable for a term which may extend to three years.

The judge posted to April 8, further hearing of the case and directed the law officer to come prepared with case laws to argue the matter on that day.