Team Herald
PANJIM: A school headmistress, charged with allegedly assaulting and harassing a minor student has been discharged by the Children’s Court in absence of ‘grave suspicion’ against the accused.
In the final order, Children’s Court President Vandana Tendulkar stated that there was no grave suspicion to frame charge against the headmistress under Section 8(2) of the Goa Children’s Act.
“Contents of the complaint are not fully supported by the statement of the victim boy, who has only stated about the act of the headmistress of calling his mother a liar. Besides he has stated that the headmistress had slapped on his head at the back once when he was not in school uniform and when his cousin was carrying his school bag… Neither the complaint not the statement of the victim reveals the date of offence,” the order states.
In the absence of date, place and the time of the alleged offence, the court observed that no specific prima facie offence is made out.
According to the complaint, the Class III student was allegedly harassed by the headmistress who accused his mother of being a liar and doubting the character of his sister – an ex-student of the school.
