Campus violence by teachers serious matter, can't be condoned: Madras High Court

Teachers protesting inside college campus is a serious matter that cannot be condoned, the Madras High Court recently said while refusing to quash a criminal case registered against a Chennai college teacher..In an order passed on June 13, Justice G Jayachandran refused to accept an apology letter submitted by the petitioner-teacher and declined to quash the pending criminal proceedings against him. "The campus violence by the teaching staff themselves is a very serious matter which cannot be condoned by just receiving an apology letter," the Court said..The High Court further said that the petitioner cannot bypass legal procedures merely by offering a letter of apology after having resorted to violent protests inside the college campus."An affidavit of apology cannot be entertained to quash the prosecution launched for offence of this kind. Criminal Procedure Code provides for bargain, or plead guilty or compound. Bye-passing the procedures and quashing criminal prosecution, by obtaining apology letter for an act of violence inside the college campus by the teaching staff is not in the interest of justice. Hence, quash petition is dismissed," the Court said..Justice Jayachandran was hearing a petition filed by one TV Swaminathan, teacher at the Pachaiyappa's Trust in Chennai. Swaminathan and several other teaching and non-teaching staff members were booked by the city police in 2019 after the interim administrator of the Trust, a retired High Court judge, registered a complaint against them.As per the complaint, the petitioner and others had staged protests when the college committee meeting was to be held on the campus under the chairmanship of the interim administrator who had been appointed by the High Court to streamline the Trust-run institute's administration..Justice Jayachandran granted the petitioner the liberty to go before the trial court to seek relief by "either resorting to plea bargain or by compounding.".Advocate N Elayaraja appeared for Swaminathan, the petitioner.Government Advocate S Udayakumar appeared for the State. .[Read Order]