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MUMBAI: Education should be kept away from politics, said the Bombay High Court while refusing to strike down the order suspending a teacher only because he is associated with a political party. Justice P B Majmudar and Justice P B Varale of the Nagpur bench on Thursday heard a petition filed by Shrikant Pande, a teacher at Nutan Adarsh Junior College in Umred, Nagpur district, challenging his suspension order dated November 23, 2011. Pande's advocate Anand Parchure argued that he had been suspended because he is associated with a political party: he is the president of the local unit of the BJP. The judges said, "Prima facie, we are of the opinion that a government servant or person in employment in an educational institution is not required to have any political association or connection till he is in service.'' They added that if an employee is actively associated with a political organization, his political ideas may influence his teaching. Observing that a teacher's role is to impart education to students in an impartial manner, the judges said the suspension order couldn't be struck down by holding that Pande is free to continue his political activities along with his teaching job. |
| SOURCE: The Times of India |
