Chennai: Madras high court has stayed a state govt rule making it mandatory for schools to file an annual undertaking that no external organisations will be permitted to organise any events during and outside school hours. The rule was introduced in view of complaints that RSS is being permitted in private schools to organise its shakhas. The court, however, did not stay the rule which prohibited schools from allowing external agencies to hold political and communal events on their campuses.According to the amended Tamil Nadu Private Schools (Regulation) Rules, the failure to file the mandatory annual undertaking will face cancellation of recognition accorded. On Thursday, when the plea moved by Saraswathi Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Vellore, came up for hearing, the first bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan granted the interim stay till the next hearing.The court, however, refused to grant a stay against operation of the entire amendment that prohibits such events on the school premises. “Granting a complete stay against the amendments would amount to granting the final relief sought in the plea,” the judges said.Advocate-general P S Raman for TN submitted that the schools should not misuse the interim stay against filing the undertaking and violate the prohibition. To this, the court clarified that the stay is only against the filing of the undertaking and not against the prohibition and other conditions imposed under the regulation. Representing the school, advocate G Babu contended that the result of the litigation will directly affect administration of the school management and trust and rights of property as well in terms of management of the day-to-day affairs as well as motive for which it was created.
