Recently in the case Devram Sawleram Mundhe v. the State of Maharashtra, Bombay High court observed that the school inculcating moral values need not worry about the bars in the vicinity of the school.
The petition which was filed by one Devram Mundhe and two other social workers seeks the removal of a liquor shop which is in the vicinity of the school. The state excise department granted a license to a restaurant named Hotel Moonlight, which is nearby to the school. The petition has been filed when the State Excise Commissioner granted the license after the Collector, Pune has rejected the plea of the restaurant’s owner to transfer the liquor license against the objection raised by the petitioners on the grounds of disturbing a law and order situation. Further, when the request was maintained by the Principal Secretary of State Excise Department the petitioner moved toward the High Court through a writ appeal. The Principal Secretary granted this order after noting that there is no law and order situation is being disturbed also that the restaurant and school distance
The single-bench headed by GS Kulkarni refused to interfere in the present matter. The court observed that institution which is running school should not believe that their education system is so fragile that student of their institution gets influenced so easily by the liquor shop in the vicinity.
The court further observed, “If the quality of learning and inculcation of moral values in the children is to be of a standard, as what the ‘Father of the Nation’ intended to imbibe in our citizens, then the petitioner’s institution ought not to have worried at all, about any student being adversely affected, by any such place in the vicinity of the school.”
The High Court believes that the order which was passed by the Commissioner of State Excise was well-reasoned and detailed. The court also took a note of the case where a similar restraint has been operative for 10 to 12 years, but the petitioner has never objected to the same.
Justice Kulkarni also emphasized the importance of the role played by the educational institution in preparing students with strong morals which would further help them for future challenges in life.
The court observed, “It is an onerous obligation for an educational institution to devote itself to building a robust society by imparting creative education at the school level which ought not to be overlooked. It is thus a sincere hope, that these words fall on the receptive ears of the institution and the institution creates a situation for itself, that it would feel proud of its students.”
