PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa disposed of a petition filed by one Melwyn Fernandes of Aldona after the Directorate of Education informed the Court that it has not approved appointment of Fr Jerad Sahayaraj as principal of St Thomas Higher Secondary School, Aldona.
Fernandes, a parent had approached the court after the school management refused to furnish him documents sought under the Right to Information (RTI) Act and for continuing Fr Sahayaraj as the principal.
In December 2020, the Court had set aside the appointment of Fr Sahayaraj, while clarifying that he will be entitled to continue as the principal of the higher secondary school on ad-hoc basis for a period of three months unless he is promoted by the Department Promotional Committee (DPC) by adhering to the provisions of the Goa School Education Act and the said Rules.
But since no decision was taken after three months and as Fr Sahayaraj continued to the post without fulfilling the required criteria as per the Act and also for refusing to give information sought under RTI Act, Fernandes filed another petition before the High Court challenging his appointment.
During the hearing, the deputy director of education informed the Court that it had not approved appointment of Fr Sahayaraj to the post of principal.
The school management – Fransalian Education Society, Aldona also informed the court that appointment of Fr Sahayaraj is not approved and consequently he will not be permitted as the principal of the higher secondary school.
