The suspension order issued against Sulekha Dalal, a Haryana teacher and supporter of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), was revoked after the party publicly condemned the action, a CJP spokesperson claimed. The suspension notice was released on Wednesday (June 10), days after she attended the party’s protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. CJP’s spokesperson, however, posted on X later that the suspension was ‘revoked’.
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“Very happy to inform you all that Sulekha Dalal’s suspension was revoked about 40 minutes ago. Better sense has prevailed. This is a victory for every teacher, student and citizen who believes that no one should be punished for peacefully standing with the youth and asking questions,” CJP spokesperson Saurav Das wrote on X.
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Dalal’s suspension
As previously reported by HT, an order was issued by the district elementary education officer (DEEO), Bijender Hooda, stating that Dalal was suspended from June 8 for violating conduct rules resulting from her failure to seek prior permission before participating in such events. The suspension order had stated that she would not be permitted to leave her headquarters without prior approval from the competent authority.
She had alleged that the suspension order was a way for the government to target her due to her decision to take part in the CJP protest held on June 6 in the national capital. As a mother of fellow 21-year-old victim of the NEET paper leaks, she found her attendance at Jantar Mantar to be an obligation for the thousands of students affected by government lapses.
CJP issued a statement
Soon after these developments came to light, the official communications handle of the CJP released a statement calling out the decision as “an attack on the constitutional right of every citizen to speak, assemble, question and dissent”.
“No teacher should be punished for standing with the youth of this country,” the statement added. “No citizen should be made to choose between their livelihood and their conscience. And no government should be so insecure that it treats peaceful participation in a public protest as misconduct.”
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“The authorities must also make public the exact grounds for the action taken against her. Vague references to “conduct rules” cannot become a weapon to punish dissent,” the party asserted. The statement went on to reaffirm constitutional rights to protest and stand with the vulnerable, labelling them as “guarantees” instead of “gifts” from the State.
Affirming the lack of a clear reason on her suspension order, Dalal had decided to challenge the order in the court. “I had gone to Delhi only to raise my voice for our children who are being harassed due to paper leaks,” she remarked. “I had just made a request, as I am a mother of a son who is also preparing for competitive exams.”
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The CJP protests held in Delhi on June 6 demanded the resignation of education minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, in light of the recent lapses in conducting critical entrance exams like NEET, CUET and CBSE boards.
