MP HC stays suspension of teacher who mimicked PM over LPG prices

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed the suspension of a government primary school teacher who allegedly mimicked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a satirical video on rising LPG prices, observing that the action appeared to have been taken in haste and without due application of mind.

Justice Ashish Shroti noted that teacher Saket Kumar Purohit was suspended on March 13, the same day BJP MLA Pritam Lodhi sought action against him. The court remarked that the District Education Officer (DEO) failed to assess the “justifiability or desirability” of the suspension and did not contemplate any inquiry before issuing the order.

In its March 25 order, the court observed that as per government guidelines, a public servant can be suspended only when a major penalty is likely. It emphasised that suspension cannot be imposed in a routine manner, cautioning against what it described as a “suspension syndrome”.

“The existence of the power to suspend an employee, the manner in which such power is exercised, and the propriety of passing such an order are distinct aspects. Merely because the authority is competent to issue a suspension order does not place such order beyond the scope of judicial review. If it suffers from non-application of mind or is palpably arbitrary, it is liable to be interfered with,” the bench said.

Purohit, posted in Shivpuri district, had been accused of uploading an “objectionable” video intended to disturb social harmony and tarnish the image of the education department. Challenging the action, his counsel argued that the video contained no objectionable material and only referred to LPG shortages arising from the West Asia conflict.

The state government contended that suspension does not amount to punishment and falls outside judicial scrutiny. However, the court held that the order appeared to have been passed mechanically, allegedly under the influence of the local MLA.

Setting aside the suspension, the court directed the DEO to reconsider the matter in accordance with the 2005 government instructions. It ordered that the suspension will remain stayed until a fresh decision is taken.