The Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has approved a review petition submitted by K.K. Oormila Devi who was transferred out of her position as Principal Headmistress of Cotton Hill Girls’ High School following allegations that she was disrespectful to Education Minister P.K. Abdu Rabb during a public function at the school in May.
At first, Ms. Devi was transferred to the government school at Ayilam by the Directorate of Public Instruction (DPI), but an order was issued on June 30, saying she would be posted as headmistress of Government Model HSS, ‘a convenient posting’, taking into account her ‘physical ailment’.
The petitioner argued that she never made such a case and only requested reinstatement as Principal Headmistress at the Cotton Hill school. The DPI’s second transfer order to Model School was labelled ‘irregular, illegal and liable to be set aside’ for it is ‘not true to the facts’. The review petition says she only requested the Chief Minister to reinstate her. Her amended petition says that the two transfer orders (the first saying she should move to Ayilam and the second allowing her to be posted at Model School) are ‘based on totally inconsistent reasons’ and are ‘illegal and unsustainable’.
Ms. Devi has requested the KAT to direct the DPI to cancel the second order as well and reinstate her at Cotton Hill.
