The Madras High Court on Tuesday granted an interim stay for four weeks of the operation of a State government order of December 26 last year mandating the formation of School Management Committees in all aided schools under the Tamil Nadu Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules.
Justice S.Rajeswaran passed the interim order on a writ petition by the Tamil Nadu Catholic Educational Association, represented by its secretary-cum-treasurer, Michael Vyagulam. The petitioner submitted that the G.O of the School Education Department would destroy the character of administration of minority schools. The constitution of the committee would displace the minority management guaranteed by the Constitution under Art.30 (1.) The individual School Management Committees, for every school, would have the effect of dismemberment of each school from the corporate management of minority administration. The sweeping powers of the committee were a virtual encroachment on the day-to-day administration of minority schools.
