Madras High Court Bans Public Programmes In Educational Institutions

The Madras High Court has directed the Tamil Nadu government to organise only education-related programmes in educational institutions. The directive from Justice N Kirubakaran came during the hearing of a petition from Kathirvel, who had urged the court to restrain authorities from organising an exhibition for 45 days in a government arts college in Tirupur to highlight the government's achievements and schemes. The judge, however, permitted the authorities to conduct the exhibition in the college subject to eight riders. Among the conditions the judge laid down included proper traffic management and levelling of the playground once the exhibition was over at Chikkanna Government Arts College. Also, 25 trees have to be planted by the government for every single tree that was cut, the judge ordered. He observed that the petitioner approached the court at the last minute, and said had he had done so in time, the result could have been different.

Advocate General Vijay Narayan submitted to the court that arrangements had been made for the exhibition and there cannot be any order restraining the authorities from organising the programme at the last minute. The judge said any educational institution should be allowed to function without interference from the government. The academic atmosphere has to be maintained and should not be vitiated, he said. If the government intends to hold an exhibition to demonstrate their achievements, the same can be done anywhere, except in educational institutions, Justice Kirubakaran said. Educational institutions are only for imparting education and no other activity should be undertaken either temporarily or permanently, he said. Only programmes with regard to education and incidental ones alone could be undertaken in the temple of learning, he said. Therefore, the government is directed not to organise any programme except those related to education in any of the educational institutions, whether schools or colleges or universities, the judge said.