Chennai: Madras high court on Monday granted the state govt four weeks to file its response to a batch of petitions challenging a govt order banning private schools from hosting political, religious and ideological programmes on their campuses.A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan also extended an interim stay on the implementation of a clause requiring private schools to submit an annual undertaking by April 30, affirming compliance with the order.The petitions were filed by Saraswathi Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Vellore and Sri Kamaraj Vidyalaya Primary School in Chennai, questioning the validity of the govt order issued in March this year.The order prohibits private schools across Tamil Nadu from conducting political, religious or ideology-based events within their premises. It also mandates schools to provide an undertaking every year confirming that the directive would be followed.When the matter came up for hearing on Monday, counsel for the petitioners pointed out that the state govt had not yet filed its response to the challenge.After the govt sought additional time to place its detailed stand on record, the bench granted four weeks for filing the counter affidavit and ordered that the interim stay already in force would continue until then.
