The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Madurai News : GOs on school buildings: court directive to Govt. counsel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 08, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

GOs on school buildings: court directive to Govt. counsel

By Our Staff Reporter

MADURAI, SEPT. 7. The Madurai Bench of Madras High Court today ordered the government counsel to produce all relevant materials, including the government orders, by which an officer is bound to check school buildings.

The Bench gave the directive when a batch of bail petitions filed by five arrested officers, including the suspended Special Tahsildar of Kumbakonam, S. Paramasivam, came up for hearing.

Justice T.V. Masilamani gave the directions to the Additional Public Prosecutor, V.M.R. Rajendran, and posted the matter for further hearing to Thursday.

R. Ragupathi, appearing for Mr. Paramasivam, said the allegation against his client was that he did not inspect the school in person while renewing the licence for its building. "His being a revenue official, there is nothing that binds him to inspect schools. It is only based on the recommendations of the District Educational Officer that he has passed orders. So, he cannot be held responsible for the accident (fire accident)," he said. The Tahsildar was arrested on July 21.

The four other officers, M. Palanisamy, Chief Educational Officer, Thanjavur, R. Narayanaswamy, District Educational Officer (in charge), Thanjavur, G. Mathavan, Assistant Educational Officer (in charge), Kumbakonam, and B. Palanisamy, District Elementary Education Officer, Thanjavur, also filed bail petitions. All of them were arrested on July 19 and remanded to custody.

Arguing for these officers, S. Nagamuthu said it was a chartered engineer who was responsible for checking the buildings and give a report to the AEO. The process ran through a chain of officers, including the DEO and the CEO, and reached the Joint Director of Education.

"The ultimate authority who passes the order is the Joint Director, who has only been placed under suspension, and not arrested. Hence, the rest of the officers cannot be blamed for the tragedy," Mr. Nagamuthu said.

The Additional Public Prosecutor sought time till Thursday to produce the documents.

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