SC rebukes Adityanath govt, police over teacher asking students to slap Muslim classmate
Asks govt to appoint senior IPS officer to probe matter
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday criticized the Uttar Pradesh government and police for their handling of a case involving a teacher in Muzaffarnagar district who instructed her students to slap their seven-year-old Muslim classmate.
A bench consisting of Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal expressed concerns about a "prima facie failure" on the part of the UP government in complying with the provisions of the Right to Education Act. The Act mandates the provision of quality, free, and compulsory education to children up to 14 years without discrimination based on caste, creed, or gender.
Justice Oka emphasized the seriousness of the issue, stating, "Teacher telling students to hit a classmate because they belong to a particular community! Is this quality education? The state must take responsibility for the education of the child. If the allegations are true, this should shock the conscience of the state."
The Supreme Court directed the UP government to appoint a senior Indian Police Service officer to investigate the matter and submit a report within three weeks. The court expressed serious objections to the manner in which the First Information Report (FIR) had been filed, noting that it did not contain the allegations made by the child's father or the transcript of the video.
The judges disagreed with the Additional Solicitor General, representing the UP government, who claimed that the communal aspect of the case was being exaggerated. The court stressed that the matter should not be taken lightly and emphasized that quality education cannot exist if a student is penalized based on their community.
The Supreme Court ordered the UP government to provide professional counseling to the Muslim boy and other students who were instructed to slap him. The court also stated that the state cannot expect the child to continue attending the same school.
The case gained widespread attention after a video circulated on social media showing the teacher, identified as Tripta Tyagi, encouraging students to hit the Muslim child. The incident led to public outrage, with calls for the teacher's arrest. An FIR was filed against Tyagi under IPC sections 323 (causing hurt) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace).
The Supreme Court's remarks came during a hearing of a public interest litigation filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, seeking a speedy investigation into the case.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
