SC grants interim protection from arrest to principal, teacher

NEWDELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted an interim protection from arrest to a Lucknow school principal and a teacher, accused of abetting the alleged suicide of a class 12 student in December 2016 after allegedly giving him corporal punishment.

A vacation bench of justice S Abdul Nazeer and justice Indu Malhotra also sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on a plea seeking quashing of the case and the charge sheet against the principal and the teacher. The class 12 student, Lalit Yadav, who was studying in Cathedral Senior Secondary School, Hazratganj in Lucknow, had on December 3, 2016 committed suicide at his home by shooting himself with his father’s licensed pistol.

During the hearing, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde and lawyer Ajay Singh, appearing for principal Melvin Saldhana and physical training teacher James John, said that since the charge sheet had already been filed, their custodial interrogation was not required. Therefore, they should be granted protection from arrest, the counsel contended.

Hegde submitted that the student was not given corporal punishment in the school. The principal and the teacher have challenged the May 22 order of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court dismissing their plea for quashing the case and the charge sheet lodged against them for alleged abetment to suicide.