Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 17
More than a century after one of the first all girls’ boarding school in North India was established in Kairon village, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today directed the maintenance of status quo “regarding demolition of already existing girls’ school complex”.
The direction by Justice Raj Mohan Singh came on a petition filed by former minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon through counsel Sangram S Saron and Shubhreet Kaur. Among other things, they contended that the respondents had started demolition work in the newly constructed girls’ hostel by removing intervening walls just to widen space to create classrooms for students of Sri Guru Teg Bahadur State University of Law being established there.
Appearing before the Bench, Saron and Shubhreet Kaur contended that the petitioner’s great grandfather was a prominent figure, who established the school in Kairon village in Tarn Taran district. Its foundation stone was laid way back on February 12, 1916. The petitioner’s family donated the ancestral land for the noble cause. The womenfolk belonging to the family participated and taught in the school initially known as Bhujangan Ashram, but rechristened as Government Girls Senior Secondary School after the government took over. As such, his “great sentiments” were attached to the institute.
“The cause of petitioner’s concern is that the very purpose of donating the land and establishing the school may not be misused by the government for some unauthorised act,” they added. Elaborating, they submitted about 800 students were studying there. The building was constructed afresh after it became dilapidated with the passage of time. The new building included girls’ hostel and other infrastructure such as IT, computer laboratory, kitchen and mess.
The University of Law was proposed to be established in the village last year at a site situated about a few kilometres away from the girls’ school complex. A decision was taken to use five rooms and a hall on temporary basis in the students’ hostel building of government high school (boys). Its hostel was situated at some distance from the girls’ hostel in the same village. “But the fact remains that the respondents have started demolition work in the newly constructed girls’ hostelhellip;,” it was added. Taking up the matter, Justice Raj Mohan Singh also issued notice of motion for December 23 to the Union of India and other respondents.
Court: Maintain status quo on demolition in century-old school
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