HC quashes case against teachers

he Madras high court has quashed a criminal case against two school teachers, who were charged with scolding, and thereby instigating a Class 9 girl to commit suicide. N Anjali Devi and C Veeran were cited as accused in the case after the girl, Udhaya, immolated herself and then gave a dying declaration that the two teachers had scolded her and told her that she should die rather than leading a shameful life. The matter relates to the theft of Rs 1,200 cash from an anganwadi teacher at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School at Thiruvennainallur in Villupuram district in July 2005. After the money was recovered from Udhaya and another girl, the teachers had summoned Udhaya's father Arumugam and explained the matter to him. He too gave an undertaking to the school authorities that no such incident would occur again. However, in the evening the girl committed self-immolation. Moments before her death, she gave a declaration that the teachers had scolded and asked her to go and die. After a criminal case for instigation to commit suicide was filed against them, the teachers filed the present petition seeking that the case be quashed. Their counsel S Sathia Chandran told the court that the conduct of the teachers was very natural and their prosecution would result in serious miscarriage of justice. Assuming they scolded the girl for theft, which by itself could not be construed as instigation as there was no element of criminal intent on their part, he submitted. Her suicide is not the direct result of the alleged utterances of the teachers, he said. Concurring with him, Justice Aruna Jagadeesan said the school teachers, in the interest of the institution, sought to correct any mistake done by the students in order to cultivate good habits and get rid of bad habits, such as stealing money. "In such a view of the matter, the act of the teachers cannot be said that it would amount to abetment of suicide." Referring to a Supreme Court ruling, she said, "words uttered in a fit of anger or emotion without any intention cannot be termed as instigation." Holding that the teachers could not be held responsible for the suicide, Justice Aruna Jagadeesan then quashed the criminal cases pending against them.

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