Himachal High Court raps teacher for hosting son's wedding in govt school, asks her to install water purifiers

Hamirpur: The Himachal Pradesh High Court has pulled up a teacher for hosting her son's wedding function on the premises of a government school in Hamirpur and directed her to install two water purifiers on the campus, officials said on Monday.

The event was held at Government Primary School Jahu Kalan in Sulgawan village on November 5, 2021 in which the headmaster and staff were also present, they said.

Shashikant, a local, had complained regarding the matter to the school administration and Block Elementary Education department through email. He had also lodged a complaint on the Chief Minister's Helpline.

When the Block Elementary Education Officer (BEEO) reached for investigation on November 8, the complaint was found to be correct, but no action was taken, the officials said.

After getting a vague reply on the CM helpline, Shashikant gathered facts by filing an RTI application. He then submitted a petition in the High Court in April 2022 along with documents, citing a high court order in 2012.

The Himachal Pradesh High Court had in 2012 declared that no political or private programmes would be allowed on the premises of government schools.

In Shashikant's petition, the secretary, director, and deputy director of the state education department, BEEO, the school's headmaster and the female teacher who hosted the wedding, were made the respondents, the officials said.

The teacher apologised before the high court when the matter was taken up last week.

Justice Ajay Mohan Goyal, who was hearing the matter, directed her to install two RO (Reverse Osmosis) water purifiers in the school within four weeks, the officials said.

The bench posted the next hearing in the matter for October 18 and directed the headmaster, who has retired, to appear in the court, they said.

The court will also look into the involvement of the officials of the education department in the next hearing.

Orders have been given to officials to provide the current address of the headmaster within two days. The retired headmaster has been asked why he should not be sentenced for contempt of court orders.