The Court put on hold the suspension of a teacher (in-charge headmaster) accused of allowing students to offer Islamic prayers and wear community-specific uniforms
September 14: The Allahabad High Court has kept in abeyance the suspension of a government school teacher in Sambhal who was accused of allowing students to offer Islamic prayers and wear uniforms allegedly indicating affiliation with a particular religious community.
According to the allegations placed before the court, students were performing Islamic prayers at the school and wearing uniforms that indicated they belonged to a particular community. The allegations have been disputed by Ahmed.
His principal defence is that he was on sanctioned medical leave and had been hospitalised during the relevant period, and therefore could not have been present when the alleged activities took place. His counsel also argued that the allegations did not justify a major penalty even if he was considered the In-charge Headmaster.
The authorities, however, referred to records accompanying a charge sheet served on September 7, claiming that the teacher was visible at prayer services where the students were allegedly performing Islamic prayers and wearing community-specific uniforms.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Manju Rani Chauhan directed the authorities to complete the departmental enquiry preferably within 15 days, while making it clear that the court was not, at this stage, ruling on whether the allegations were true.
The teacher, Mohd. Anzar Ahmed, had challenged his suspension order dated May 10, 2026, issued by the District Basic Education Officer, Sambhal. The allegations relate to the period when he was serving as the school’s In-charge Headmaster.
The High Court declined to determine the disputed facts at the writ stage, holding that the teacher’s explanation and supporting documents should be examined through the departmental enquiry. The court observed that he would have adequate opportunity to establish his defence during those proceedings.
The court ordered that the enquiry be completed at the earliest, preferably within 15 days, and directed that all relevant documents be supplied to the teacher within three days.
Until the enquiry is completed, the suspension order will remain in abeyance and will ultimately be governed by the outcome of the departmental proceedings.
The ruling therefore gives the teacher immediate relief without amounting to a clean chit. The central question of whether the allegations are established remains with the departmental enquiry, where both the official records and the teacher’s medical-leave defence will have to be examined.
JANPATH NEWS NETWORK (JNN)
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