Court Finds No Substantive Evidence to Support Allegations Against School Principal in Inclusion of Controversial Book
In a significant judgment, the Allahabad High Court has dismissed an appeal filed by Soniya Rani, alleging caste-based discrimination in a school curriculum involving the inclusion of the book "Utkrisht Vedic Dharma Prashna Quiz". The appeal was rejected on the grounds of insufficient evidence and lack of support from independent witnesses.
The case stemmed from allegations that the Principal of Hindu Girls Inter College, Pilkhuwa, had introduced the book without government approval, claiming it promoted derogatory references to Scheduled Castes, Tribes, and Backward Classes. The appellant, Soniya Rani, asserted that the book's content fostered societal division and threatened national integrity.
The High Court, presided by Justice Anil Kumar-X, scrutinized the evidence and found that the claims were not substantiated by witnesses, including teachers allegedly present during the incident. The court noted that the book was rooted in Vedic teachings and did not incite societal hatred or enmity.
The judgment emphasized the necessity for a protest petition to meet specific legal criteria before being converted into a complaint case. It highlighted that the appellant's protest petition lacked essential elements to disclose the commission of an offense or supporting evidence.
Furthermore, the court observed that the delay in filing the FIR and the publicizing of the incident on social media cast doubts on the genuineness of the complaint. The court concluded that the allegations appeared exaggerated, resembling a public stunt rather than a legitimate grievance.
The appeal was dismissed, reinforcing the trial court's decision, which found no illegality or perversity in the dismissal of the protest petition.
Bottom Line:
Allegations of caste-based discrimination in school curriculum and abuse towards a student - Protest petition against Final Report dismissed - Conversion of protest petition into complaint case requires fulfilment of legal conditions.
Statutory provision(s): Scheduled Castes and The Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 Section 14A(1), IPC Sections 323, 504, SC/ST Act Sections 3(1)(da), 3(1)(dha), 3(2)(vi)
Soniya Rani v. State of U.P., (Allahabad) : Law Finder Doc id # 2868950
