MUMBAI, October 13: The Bombay High Court recently pulled up a non-government organisation for its zeal in pursuing what it considered wrongs in the educational system in Maharashtra. Disposing off a petition by the Forum for Fairness in Education, (Western Board), Mumbai on coaching classes the high court said the forum has misused its position by writing letters to the authorities.In their order on September 28, 1998, Chief Justice M B Shah and Justice Y S Jahagirdar referred to the section of a letter (dated September 9, 1998) written by the forum and addressed to the Joint Director of Higher Education, (Mumbai division). It reads: ``It is to be noted that the Forum's work to supplement your efforts has just begun and if there is any dereliction of duty on the part of Principals, teachers or officers concerned, Forum will continue to grill them outside and inside the court to the extent of seeking their removal from service, freezing their salaries, provident fund and other benefits''.The judgesheld that this is not the function of the Forum. They pointed out that on June 24, 1998, the court had directed the state government to set up a committee of senior officers to visit coaching classes and verify whether any of the lecturers or professors employed in junior colleges were committing breach of the code of conduct. It had also directed the state government to take immediate action and suspend the grant sanctioned for the salary of the concerned teacher.On August 17, 1998, the court had directed the government to take appropriate action after the Academic Council of University of Mumbai had passed a resolution.The resolution held that in order to monitor the process of maintaining attendance records, the principals of the college should constitute an attendance committee consisting of senior faculty members at the beginning of the academic year. This panel would also send regular reports on the defaulters to the Director, Board of College and University Development and forward any complaintby students to the principals of the respective colleges.The judges were informed that the state government had issued a resolution in this regard. ``It is hoped that the state government as well as the university will pursue the matter immediately,'' goes the court observation.
