Madras High Court Bench here has imposed a cost of Rs. 2 lakh on a teacher training institute for having admitted 11 students after the government fixed cut-off date and directed it to pay it to four service-oriented institutions that provide education and shelter to mentally and physically challenged children and other needy people.
Justice S. Manikumar passed the order while disposing of a 2009-writ petition filed by K.M. Benedict Crizal, Correspondent of Muthaiyah Memorial Teacher Training Institute at Appicode in Kanyakumari district seeking to quash an order passed by the Director of Teacher Education, Research and Training (DTERT), refusing to approve the admission of the 11 students.
Considering the plight of the students who were still awaiting the results of the examinations they wrote as per interim orders passed by the court in 2009, the judge directed the DTERT to approve their admissions and also declare the results if the writ petitioner happened to submit proof of disbursement of Rs. 2 lakh to the four service institutions mentioned by the judge.
The petitioner was ordered to hand over demand drafts of Rs. 50,000 each to Anbagam, a home for the mentally challenged on Race Course Road; Indian Association for the Blind on Alagarkoil Road; Superior St. Joseph School for Blind at Paravai; and a government rehabilitation home at Y. Pudupatti for those afflicted with leprosy.
In order to make sure that the petitioner institute does not take advantage of the leniency shown by him in the interest of the students, the judge made it clear that it should not commit the mistake in the future.
“If it comes to any adverse notice contravening the government guidelines, it is open to the DTERT to take steps to cancel its recognition by the National Council of Teacher Education,” he said.
Earlier, during arguments, the writ petitioner’s counsel had expressed his client’s inclination to pay costs as it was ordered by another judge of the High Court in April last year in another case related to Martyr Devasagayam Teacher Training Institute in Unnamalaikadai of Kanyakumari district.
In that case, the institute was ordered to pay Rs. 3 lakh as costs to the State government.
Drifting away from that order, Mr. Justice Manikumar ordered the present petitioner to pay the money to the four service institutes rather than directing it to the State Treasury.
