Madras High Court adjourns case against TVK sloganeering in schools

MADURAI: Raising concerns over the alleged use of school students for political mobilisation, a petition has been filed before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court seeking a direction to the State government to formulate and implement a State-wide Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent partisan political activities in educational institutions. The court adjourned the case to October 05.

The petitioner, advocate Theeran Thirumurugan from Madurai, in his Public Interest Litigation, said he was shocked to find widely circulated videos showing students of Alagappa Model Higher Secondary School, Karaikudi, allegedly raising the slogan “TVK... TVK” during a government function held on August 3 in the presence of dignitaries, including a minister.

The videos and media reports also created an impression that the slogans were not immediately restrained, he contended.

The petitioner said schools must remain insulated from partisan political influence as students are minors and at a formative stage of intellectual and emotional development. Educational institutions should instead foster independent thought, scientific temper, constitutional morality and democratic values, he said.

“Irrespective of the political party involved, school students should neither be encouraged nor permitted to participate in partisan political slogans, political campaigns or political demonstrations within educational institutions or during official government functions conducted on school premises,” he said.

If such practices continued unchecked, government schools and other educational institutions could gradually become platforms for political mobilisation, compromising the objective of providing children with a free, fair, impartial and politically neutral educational environment, he contended.

The petitioner further contended that the issue was not confined to one school. There were no comprehensive State-wide SOPs or binding administrative guidelines governing political activities during government functions on school campuses, he said, adding that the absence of such guidelines could result in similar incidents recurring across the State.

He had submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary and the Additional Chief Secretary, School Education Department, on August 3, seeking an inquiry into the reported incident and formulation of State-wide guidelines to prevent the use of school students and educational institutions for partisan political activities. As he received no effective response, he approached the High Court.