Mahatma Gandhi’s Great Grandson Defends Muslim Student
In New Delhi, a court held a hearing for a case filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, demanding a prompt investigation. The Supreme Court addressed the incident in Uttar Pradesh where a Muslim schoolboy was slapped by classmates at the teacher’s request and the state's inadequate response to this situation. Judges Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan expressed their concerns about how the state handled the incident and asked Shadan Farasat, the lawyer for the plaintiff Tushar Gandhi, to present the recommendations of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to the state government. The panel postponed the hearing to February 9th to discuss the consequences of the state's inadequate response and the implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act.
Furthermore, the court panel requested Farasat to consult with the victim's father and make suggestions to the state government. Prashad pointed out that the Muslim child had to travel 28 km to his new school every day since leaving his old school, which contradicted the RTE Act. Farasat mentioned that there were no good schools in the vicinity of the child's residence, and he was enrolled in a private school far from his residence at his father’s request.
TISS, Mumbai, was appointed to provide counselling to the involved child and his classmates. Muzaffarnagar Police filed a case against the teacher accused of making societal comments against the Muslim child. The school also received a warning from the state education department, and the teacher was detained for a video encouraging students to slap the child and make societal comments.
On November 6, 2023, the High Court ordered the state government to facilitate the child’s admission to a private school. On November 10, 2023, the same court condemned the government for not appointing an agency to counsel the Muslim child.