A former Kendriya Vidyalya teacher's plea challenging his removal from the post for misbehaving with girl students has been dismissed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).
The tribunal, headed by chairman VK Bali, rejected the plea of the teacher who had challenged his dismissal on the ground that no regular inquiry was conducted against him before taking action.
"Present case appears to be a fit case where it was not reasonably practical to hold a regular inquiry. It is not a case where only one girl student may have alleged misconduct of moral turpitude indulged in by the petitioner. A number of girl students deposed in the same tune," the tribunal said.
The CAT, also comprising vice-chairman LK Joshi, passed the order while hearing the plea of RV Sharma who was removed from the post of Sanskrit teacher in 2008.
The tribunal agreed with the inquiry commissioner's report which found Sharma, working with the Dwarka branch of Kendriya Vidyalaya, guilty of moral turpitude and misbehaving with the girls.
The commissioner, in his report, stated that it was not expedient to hold a regular departmental inquiry as it would cause "serious embarrassment" to the girl students and their parents.
The report favoured dispensation with the regular inquiry considering the tender age of girls, their safety and security.
A complaint was filed against the teacher by a few girls of the school in 2007 following which an inquiry committee was constituted which found him guilty of misbehaving with the students.
Earlier Sharma contended before the tribunal that the inquiry conducted against him by the authorities was not independent and was illegal, which was rejected by the court.
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