SC seeks report on Muzaffarnagar child slapping case from UP govt

The order came in a petition filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who approached the court last year soon after the video of the incident was widely shared last August.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Uttar Pradesh government to report within a fortnight about the progress of the case involving a Muslim student who was slapped by classmates on the instruction of his teacher at a school in Muzaffarnagar.

Posting the matter for hearing on April 26, a bench of justices AS Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan said, “Place the matter on April 26. In the meantime, the additional advocate general, UP shall take instructions on steps taken to prosecute the offender.”

The order came in a petition filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who approached the court last year soon after the video of the incident was widely shared last August.

Monitoring a slew of orders passed in this regard since September last year, the top court on Monday expressed satisfaction with the compliance shown by the state government in providing counselling to the affected students and the victim. In this regard, the top court had commissioned a report from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and had ensured the counselling is provided by the state in association with reputed NGOs working in this field.

“There is sufficient as regards counselling,” the bench observed as it sought a further affidavit from the state government on aspects related to implementation of Right to Education, etc. Advocate Shadan Farasat appearing for Gandhi, moved an application on behalf of the victim’s father seeking to be added as a party to the proceedings in the top court.