HC asks Mahatma Gandhi school to retain students

NAGPUR: The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court on Tuesday asked the Mahatma Gandhi Centennial (MGC) primary school to retain two students who were expelled for their father's alleged anti-school activities. The school had expelled the two children since their father Pramod Bhagchandani was lodging complaints against the management with various authorities.
A division bench comprising justices Sharad Bobde and MN Gilani accepted an undertaking from the parent in writing that he would not interfere in the affairs of the school or file false complaints against the management. He also said he would not enter the school premises.
The petitioners, Sindhu Education Society and Mahatma Gandhi Centennial primary school, had decided to approach the high court against Section 16 of Right to Education (RTE) act, which had been cited by the education department in asking the school to retain the children.
Earlier, the education department had given the school a deadline of August 1 to take back the two expelled students. The department had threatened to de-recognize the school for violation of RTE. The school officials claimed that false complaints had been filed on frivolous grounds against them. They alleged that the parents had been continually harassing them and the teachers.
Nevertheless, the education department's contention was supported by court. The department held that debarring elementary school students on grounds of misbehaviour by parents was highly inappropriate, and so issued show cause notices to the school management.
Deepak Bajaj, secretary of Sindhu Education Society, told TOI that the authorities do not have any problem in taking back the children provided the parent behaves. "We will retain admissions of both kids. We do not want the parent to enter or create a ruckus in school premises," he said.