The Court was hearing a plea filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, seeking action against a school teacher named Tripta Tyagi for allegedly goading students to slap a Muslim student.
Tyagi is said to have made derogatory remarks about the Muslim student’s religion and instigated classmates to beat him in a viral video.
The incident had sparked outrage after a video of the child being slapped went viral on social media. The school where the incident took place was later sealed.
The teacher later released a video denying any communal angle but acknowledging that she made a mistake.
The plea by Tushar Gandhi had sought a time-bound and independent probe into the matter as well as measures to address violence against religious minority students.
In October 2023, the Uttar Pradesh government told the Supreme Court that the school teacher who allegedly egged the students to slape their classmate may face charges under Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts that are intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
In February this year, the Supreme Court took strong exception to the lackadaisical response of the Uttar Pradesh government in the matter, particularly on its failure to provide counselling to the children who were allegedly made to slap their classmate.
During earlier hearings, the Court had also taken exception to the manner in which the Uttar Pradesh Police omitted key allegations in the initial first information report (FIR) filed in the case.
Source: Barandbench
