The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed the suspension of a government teacher who faced the administration’s action after he mimicked Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a satire video over the hike in LPG prices.
Saket Kumar Purohit, a primary school teacher in Shivpuri district’s Pohri block, was suspended on March 13 by district education officer (DEO) Vivek Shrivastava in a late night order following a written complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Pritam Lodhi.
Mr. Purohit was accused of posting “an objectionable video with an intent to cause disturbance in society and damaging the image of the [education] department”, and violating M.P. Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1965.
In the video, Mr. Purohit is heard saying that due to the increase in gas prices, people would go back to eating rotis cooked on traditional stoves and it would narrow the gap between the rich and the poor.
On March 25, a single bench of Justice Ashish Shroti in Gwalior said that the suspension order is found to have been issued in haste the same day of the complaint and did not “contemplate any inquiry”.
