Supreme Court Criticizes Uttar Pradesh Government's Handling Of Muslim Boy Slapping Case

The Supreme Court, dissatisfied with the Uttar Pradesh government's failure to comply with its directives, rebuked the state on Friday in connection to the incident involving a Muslim boy and his classmates. The students were allegedly prompted by their teacher to slap the boy for not completing his homework, with additional accusations of communal slurs against the victim, PTI reported. 

Highlighting the "total non-compliance" by the state government, Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal directed the principal secretary of the state's school education department to virtually attend the next hearing to avoid potential strong actions by the court.

In response to the lack of proper counseling, the Supreme Court appointed the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, to recommend suitable methods for counseling the child and his classmates involved in the incident. Expressing dismay at the state government's approach, the court emphasized the need for effective counseling and tasked TISS with suggesting expert child counselors in the state to oversee the process.

Expressing disappointment in the state government's affidavits regarding counseling efforts, the court mandated the submission of a report by TISS before December 11, the next hearing date. The apex court directed the UP government to provide necessary support to TISS and urged the Principal Secretary of the Education Department to personally ensure compliance.

The Muzaffarnagar Police had previously registered a case against the teacher for alleged communal remarks and instigating physical harm against the Muslim boy, leading to a notice being served to the school by the state's education department.

In response to a video showing the teacher instructing students to slap the Class 2 boy and making communal remarks, the court had previously directed the Uttar Pradesh government to facilitate the boy's admission to a private school. The case was brought before the court through a plea filed by Tushar Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's great-grandson, seeking a prompt investigation.

The court had earlier instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to promptly decide on granting sanction to prosecute the school teacher and acknowledged the severe trauma experienced by the victim. Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj was directed to explore the availability of expert agencies like NIMHANS and TISS for counseling purposes in the victim's village.