Hands off Church school, state told

(May 25, 2010) A court order forbidding Madhya Pradesh officials from interfering in the affairs of a Christian school is a “real help for all the minority schools across the state,” says a priest of Satna diocese. Father Jolly Kunnukadan, who handles such cases for the diocese, was commenting on a Madhya Pradesh High Court interim directive on May 20 ordering officials not to interfere in the management of the Christu Kula Mission Higher Secondary English School. School principal Father C.A. Varghese had petitioned the court after officials on April 3 told the school to abandon an entrance examination and asked for admissions to be based on a lottery system. However, they did not insist on the same method for other schools. The district education officer later insisted on accommodating his nominee in the school’s management body, citing a state government circular. The priest challenged the government circular based on a Supreme Court order that forbids state interference in the management of minority-run institutions. The state has experienced similar instances of “illegal” interference from officials, said Father Kunnukadan, adding that the order was a “real help” for minority-run schools in the state.