Indore: In a significant judgment reinforcing school autonomy and accountability in the digital era, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has upheld the expulsion of a Class 9 student from a reputed ICSE-affiliated school in Indore for creating and circulating vulgar, derogatory, and communally charged social media posts targeting teachers.
Delivering the verdict, Justice Pranay Verma of the Indore Bench dismissed a writ petition filed by the student’s father a journalist who had challenged the school’s disciplinary action, arguing it violated the child’s right to education.
According to case records, the incident began when the boy, along with two classmates, created an Instagram page using the school’s name. The page featured a series of memes, abusive captions, and caricatures of teachers. Some of the content reportedly included communal undertones and explicit language, sparking outrage within the school community.
After school authorities traced the account to the students, they were confronted and each admitted guilt in writing. Despite issuing apologies, the school suspended them for the remainder of the academic year allowing them only to sit for their final exams and later informed the parents that the main student would not be readmitted to Class 10.
The student’s father subsequently approached the Madhya Pradesh State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MPSCPCR), which on April 3, 2025, directed the school to revoke the termination, reinstate the student, and provide him with counselling instead of punishment.
However, the school declined to comply, asserting that the Commission’s order was recommendatory in nature and held no binding legal authority. The school maintained that, as a private unaided institution, it possessed full discretion in matters of student discipline.
Challenging this stance, the father moved the High Court, contending that the expulsion violated the child’s fundamental right to education under Article 21-A of the Constitution, as well as the Right to Education Act (2009) and Juvenile Justice Act (2015).
Justice Verma, after reviewing the case materials including screenshots and chat records submitted in a sealed cover found the content shared by the student to be “highly abusive, vulgar, and communal in tone,” describing it as evidence of a “revengeful and rebellious attitude.”
Rejecting the petitioner’s claim that the boy lacked maturity to understand the consequences of his actions, the Court observed that the student demonstrated “sufficient mental development to grasp the gravity of his conduct.”
The bench further emphasized that school authorities act as custodians of discipline and moral order, and their decisions deserve judicial deference unless proven arbitrary or malicious.
“The power of judicial review in such cases is very limited. This Court cannot sit in appeal over the school’s disciplinary decision,” Justice Verma stated.
Citing judicial precedents from the Karnataka, Kerala, and Madras High Courts, Justice Verma clarified that the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has no power to adjudicate disputes between two parties. The Commission’s directions, he said, are recommendatory and not binding, and hence the school was under no legal obligation to reinstate the student.
While upholding the school’s decision, the Court noted that the student’s Transfer Certificate described him as a person of “good character,” ensuring that he faced no academic barriers to securing admission in another institution.
Finding no procedural irregularity, mala fide intent, or legal infirmity in the school’s decision, the High Court dismissed the petition in full.
In conclusion, Justice Verma remarked that educational institutions must retain the right to enforce discipline and ethical standards, particularly in an age where social media misuse can gravely damage reputations and erode respect for teachers.
The judgment sends a clear message that while students’ rights must be protected, discipline, respect, and responsibility remain fundamental pillars of education, both inside and outside the classroom.