MP school principal framed under freedom of religion law, says court

Ruby Singh had filed the complaint at the police station against the school principal in the presence of leaders of Vishwa Hindu Parshad stating that she was under pressure from her school principal to convert.

Published on: Mar 17, 2021, 10:55:07 IST

By Shruti Tomar

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Madhya Pradesh high court on Tuesday granted bail to the principal of a missionary school, booked under the Madhya Pradesh Freedom of Religion Ordinance 2020 on February 22 for alleged mental harassment of a female teacher and trying to force her to convert.

MP school principal framed under freedom of religion law, says court

“Sister Bhagya has submitted that the complaint is false and registered only out of a sense of frustration experienced by the teacher Ruby Singh, on account of her termination from service of the school. The principal lodged a complaint to the sub-divisional magistrate on February 17 that the complainant was terminated from the services of school on account of her poor performance and lack of documents and was threatening to commit self-immolation if she is not reinstated. The same was forwarded to the SDO(P), Khajuraho, to look into the issue. Thereafter on February 20, the same letter was sent to town inspector Khajuraho police station,” said single bench judge Atul Sreedharan.

“The FIR was registered on February 22. It is clear that Ruby Singh falsely implicated the principal Sister Bhagya by levelling the allegations of forced conversion of her and her family,” the judge added before granting her interim bail.

Ruby Singh had filed the complaint at the police station against the school principal in the presence of leaders of Vishwa Hindu Parshad stating that she belonged to a lower-middle-class family and was under pressure from Sister Bhagya to convert; she also claimed that the principal used undignified words for Singh’s religion and when she refused to change her faith, her salary payment was stopped followed by sacking.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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