Gujarat: A court in Gandhinagar has sentenced a private school teacher to three years and three months’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 for assaulting a Class 9 student over unfinished homework, an act that ruptured the girl’s eardrum and caused permanent hearing damage.
The verdict, delivered by the Third Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court, brings closure to a case registered in 2020 that continued for nearly five years as the victim’s family pursued justice.
According to court records, the incident occurred at a private school in Sector 28, Gandhinagar, where science teacher Parulben lost her temper after a 14-year-old student failed to complete her lesson. In a moment of anger, the teacher slapped the girl on her left cheek, causing severe injury.
Medical examinations later confirmed that the impact ruptured the student’s eardrum and led to lasting hearing impairment, turning what began as routine classroom reprimand into permanent physical and emotional trauma.
Despite corporal punishment being widely reported in schools, the seriousness of the injury prompted the student’s parents to file a police complaint after their daughter began struggling with hearing loss. The case then moved through the legal process over several years.
During the trial, the prosecution presented medical reports confirming the injury, along with witness statements and evidence from the school. The court held that the teacher had misused her authority and violated the trust placed in her by students and parents.
The court ruled that the assault was neither accidental nor trivial, but a serious criminal act against a minor.
Parulben was sentenced to three years and three months’ simple imprisonment and fined Rs 25,000 under provisions of the Indian Penal Code. She was also awarded an additional one year’s simple imprisonment and fined another Rs 25,000 under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act for cruelty to a minor, taking the total fine to Rs 50,000.
In strong observations, the judge said physical violence inflicted on an innocent child by a teacher abusing her authority was a grave matter and such acts could not be tolerated.
The verdict has sent a strong message across Gujarat’s education sector, with officials and legal experts stating that violence in classrooms will no longer be dismissed as discipline. Authorities have warned schools and teachers to strictly follow child protection laws and ensure classrooms remain safe spaces for children. (Agencies)
