Saturday, May 2, 2015

College a temple, teachers gods: High court

CHENNAI: A college student found in the company of a senior girl student inside a locked classroom, and dismissed by the college management for an "immoral act", failed to earn any reprieve in the Madras high court, which said such behavior of students could not be encouraged inside education institutions which should be treated as temples.

Justice S Vaidyanathan, refusing to come to the rescue of K Suthan of Sivanthi Aditanar College, Pillayarpuram in Nagercoil, said: "The place where education is imparted should be regarded as a temple and teachers as gods. If this kind of activity is encouraged to happen in college premises, more particularly among students, it will definitely become a social menace. The entire society will be at peril."

Suthan, a third year MCA student, had cleared all his papers and paid examination fee for his final semester too. However, after finding him inside a classroom with another student, who was two years senior to him and had completed her BCom course, he was first suspended from the college in November 2014. He moved the court challenging the action against him. Noting that the girl has not lodged any complaint, he said the allegation against him had no legs to stand.

The college management, in its submission, said it had been established that the student took a girl alone inside a classroom and locked the door. There were eyewitnesses to the occurrence, it said, adding that if stringent action is not taken, the name of the institution will be at stake. Also, during the pendency of the writ petition, the student had been found guilty and dismissed from the college, it said.

Justice Vaidyanathan, terming the student's claim that he had taken a stranger who was not studying in the college at the time into the classroom as "absurd and vulnerable", said: "Nowadays, the impact of cinema/media is more on the younger generation and some films exert an evil influence on many people. It is no doubt true that films which show the activities of criminals have encouraged many youths to commit acts of crime. Films dealing with sex and other natural weaknesses of man have corrupted the morals of many people."

While conceding the usefulness of mass media as a source of news and knowledge, the judge rued, "Good things being telecast or published do not reach the minds of the public, especially youngsters, as bad message travels faster. TV, cinemas, dramas and other modern technologies like mobile phone become the root cause for spoiling the life of a youth. The present case is the perfect example in that line."

Agreeing with the college management's stand that the order of suspension could not be challenged in view of the subsequent order of dismissal, Justice Vaidyanathan dismissed the petition saying if such activities are encouraged, it would develop into a social menace.

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