Calcutta high court orders drive against corporal punishment

The Calcutta high court (HC) ordered the West Bengal government on Friday to launch an awareness drive against corporal punishment in schools.

The directive comes in the wake of suicide by Rouvanjit Rawla, a 13-year-old student of La Martiniere for Boys school in Kolkata, allegedly after he was caned by the principal.

HC said the state government should run the campaign via both the print and electronic media. It said the government should publish guidelines to prevent corporal punishment in schools specify penal action against erring institutions and teachers.

Last week, HC had hauled up the government for failing
to implement its earlier order to prevent corporal punishment and sought an action-taken report.

Meanwhile, La Martiniere for Boys has landed in a fresh controversy. HC has summoned the school authorities in connection with a contempt petition filed by Partha Banerjee, father of class-IV student Srijan.

In his petition, Banerjee has alleged that the school was not complying with the HC order to promote his son.

He had earlier approached the court  after La Marts teacher Sanjay Smart allegedly promised him to promote the dyslexic Srijan in return for a laptop.