The Hindu : Front Page : Children take their case to court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jul 26, 2005

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Children take their case to court

A. Subramani

FIGHTING THEIR BATTLE: Pavanar Tamilvazhi Mazhalayar Thodakkapalli students in the Madras High Court in Chennai on Monday. — Photo: K.V. Srinivasan

CHENNAI: It was an outing they are unlikely to forget easily. The 50-odd children, mostly kindergarten students, of the Pavanar Tamilvazhi Mazhalayar Thodakkapalli in Pallikkaranai, were in the Madras High Court campus on Monday to listen to arguments in a case in which they were arguably the central players.

Their classrooms were demolished on July 19 by the landowner following a dispute with the school management. Relying on a civil court order, which said nothing about eviction or demolition, a large posse of Pallikkaranai police stood guard and kept parents and teachers away while the buildings were razed.

The school trustee, T. Manthaneyan, who said that a temporary shamiana had been put up to conduct classes, moved the High Court seeking criminal action against three persons and departmental action against the local Inspector of Police. He also sought interim compensation of Rs. 2 lakhs from those responsible for the demolition.

Exemplary behaviour

A little before Justice P.D. Dinakaran took up the case for hearing, the children trooped into the court hall and quietly sat down on the floor in twos. Throughout the arguments, they were on their best behaviour anddid nothing to disturb the decorum of the court.

Senior counsel N.G.R. Prasad, appearing for the school trustee, asked the court to order action against the police and others who had misinterpreted a civil court order in a "collusive suit" and demolished the school buildings.

The Judge said he was more worried about the future of the children and asked the Additional Advocate-General, A.L. Somayaji, to report to the court by Thursday whether the children could be accommodated in a Government school or a recognised private school in the area.

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