NTMS students on legal course to save their school

17 pupils, represented by parents file petition

When all efforts to retain Maharani’s New Type Model School (NTMS), in the city, went in vain, 17 students of the school, all minors, have launched a legal battle.

The students, represented by their parents, have filed a petition in the court of fourth additional district and sessions judge, here, recently. It is expected to come up for hearing soon.

The students, in their petition, have sought quashing of the order of the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) to drop the proceedings in relation to handing over of the school site to develop Swami Vivekananda Memorial.

The respondents are: State of Karnataka, Vidhana Soudha, Bangalore; under secretary, department of primary and higher education; additional chief secretary, finance; commissioner, department of public instruction; deputy commissioner, Mysore; CEO, Mysore ZP; Commissioner, MCC; president, Sri Ramakrishna Mutt and Mission, Howrah, West Bengal and Sri Swami Muktidananda, president of Ramakrishna Ashram, Mysore.

Sources said, the JJB, in its order on January 18, 2014, decided to drop the ongoing proceedings, against its earlier order opposing the merger of NTMS with the nearby Government Devaraja School, Devaraja Mohalla. 

Report

The JJB had come out with a report in favour of NTMS, after a section of the parents had complained against the move to hand over the school site to Sri Ramakrishna Ashram, Mysore, to construct the memorial. 

JJB members P P Baburaj and district child protection officer R Somalatha had prepared the report. The board eventually decided to drop the proceedings after the Ashram authorities reminded them of a writ petition that was filed in relation to the same at the High and eventually quashed. 

Now, the students, in their petition, have exhorted the court to ‘call for the entire records on the filed of The President, Juvenile Justice Board and Principal Senior Civil Judge and CJ at Mysore and set aside the order dated January 18, 2014, and also further to quash the government order dated January 9, 2013, passed by the department of primary and higher education in the interest of justice and equity’.

Points

Prominent among the 19 points listed as the grounds for appeal are as follows: The order passed by the JJB is not legal and hence liable to be set aside.

The NTMS measures 36,591.66 square feet on Narayanashastry road and hence it is the handiwork of respondent number nine, hand in glow with the State government to knock away the valuable property in the name of Swami Vivekananda.

Most importantly, the school is 133-year-old, started in the year 1881. Since the issue surfaced, the strength of students is gradually decreasing from the earlier 117.