The Kerala High Court on Wednesday stayed the suspension of a government school teacher who had supervised the preparation of a quiz for an inter-school competition that included a question on V.D. Savarkar as a freedom fighter who received the maximum punishment from the Britishers. The court, however, made it clear that the disciplinary proceedings against the teacher would continue during the period of the stay.
Justice Viju Abraham, hearing the matter in open court, indicated that he was inclined to pass an interim order staying the operation of the suspension order for a period of one month. The judge emphasized that while the suspension would be kept in abeyance, the disciplinary proceedings initiated against the teacher would not be halted and could proceed as per the rules.
The case, WP(C) 27818/2026, titled Guruprasad Rai K. v. State of Kerala and Ors., was filed by the teacher, who challenged the suspension order and related actions taken by the Deputy Director of Education. According to the petition, the quiz was prepared for the 'Social Science Club Freedom Quiz 2026' held on August 6 in Kasargod district. The question in contention asked which freedom fighter received the maximum punishment from the Britishers, with the answer provided as V.D. Savarkar.
The petitioner stated that the inclusion of the question and answer in the quiz led to controversy, prompting an enquiry by the Deputy Director of Education. Based on the enquiry and its recommendation, the petitioner was placed under suspension, and disciplinary proceedings were sought to be initiated against him. The suspension order, as per the plea, was issued under the direction of the Minister of the General Education Department and was alleged to be in violation of the Rules of the Business of the Government of Kerala.
The teacher, aggrieved by the action, approached the High Court, contending that the suspension and the memo of charges issued against him were violative of the Kerala Education Act. He sought to quash the memo of charges, the suspension order, and the letter issued by the Deputy Director of Education. The same reliefs were sought in the interim application before the court.
The court had previously directed the State to file its response to the petition. After hearing detailed arguments from both sides on Tuesday, the judge delivered the interim order on Wednesday. The matter has been posted for further consideration on September 18, 2026.
The petition is being argued by Advocates K.S. Bharathan, Aadithyan S. Mannali, Ronit Zachariah, Sagith Kumar V., Hemanth H., and S. Krishna. The court’s order reflects a balancing act between providing interim relief to the petitioner by staying the punitive measure of suspension and ensuring that the investigative and disciplinary process is not obstructed.
The detailed order is awaited, and the parties are expected to appear before the court on the next date of hearing to address the substantive merits of the case.