The Madras High Court has received a petition from a school in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, seeking to overturn a police complaint filed against them for allegedly allowing students to attend the prime minister's recent roadshow dressed in school uniform
The Madras High Court has received a petition from a school in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, seeking to overturn a police complaint filed against them for allegedly allowing students to attend the prime minister's recent roadshow dressed in school uniform. According to a report by The New Indian Express, S Pukal Vadivu, the headmistress of the school, submitted the petition, denouncing the complaint as "absolutely false" and motivated by a "vindictive attitude" aimed at causing trouble for the school administration.
The complaint, lodged by the district child protection officer, prompted the Sai Baba Colony police to file a formal complaint against the headmistress on March 19, citing section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2015. However, Vadivu clarified to TNIE that the allegation of pressuring students to attend the prime minister's roadshow was entirely baseless and malicious.
In the petition presented to the court, the school administrators asserted that they are being unjustly targeted by individuals with a "political vendetta," despite the absence of any evidence of maltreatment towards the children. Vadivu lamented that the complaint has tarnished the school's reputation and inflicted significant mental anguish and hardship upon them. The petitioner urged the court to annul the First Information Report (FIR), arguing that it was unwarranted, unsupported, and emblematic of an abuse of power and the legal system.
During the hearing of the petition on Thursday, March 28, Justice N Anand Venkatesh directed the police to file a counter-affidavit by April 3 and instructed them to refrain from taking coercive action until after that date.