Refusing to grant relief to a school teacher accused of beating a kindergarten student with a ruler, the Bombay High Court has asked her to approach the trial court to get the criminal case against her quashed.
A division bench of Justices V M Kanade and P D Kode allowed the teacher, Michelle Mark Anthony, to withdraw her petition as the juddges were inclined to reject it.
The teacher, working with ST Columbia School in Grant Road area here, has been charged with section 324 IPC (causing hurt by dangerous weapon).
Her lawyer denied that she ever beat the student -- a girl -- with a ruler and argued the charge cannot be invoked as a wooden foot ruler is not "a dangerous weapon".
The father and the grand-mother of the girl have filed a complaint with police alleging the teacher had beaten the chil with a foot ruler.
Anil Lalla, Michelle's lawyer, described the allegations as baseless as the case was based on the statements of the parents who had not witnessed the incident.
The girl was injured when she fell down accidentally and attended the school after that and the complaint was filed much later, he pointed out.
