Gandhinagar teacher jailed over three years for slapping student, causing hearing loss

A Gandhinagar court has sentenced private school teacher Parulben Patel to three years and three months in prison and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000, to be paid as compensation to the victim, for slapping a 14-year-old Class 9 student, rupturing her left eardrum and causing permanent hearing impairment. The verdict was delivered on January 30 by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Himanshu Choudhary , who noted that the offence involved abuse of authority, serious physical injury, and long-term medical consequences.

The incident occurred on January 1, 2020 , at Baa Shri Vasantkuvarba School , a private institution in Gandhinagar. According to the prosecution, the teacher slapped the student three times on her left ear because she was angry that the student had not completed her homework .

During the trial, the teacher admitted in her defence that the student was not doing her homework and, in her words, was “acting on her whims.” She claimed that informing the student’s parents led to a false complaint against her. However, the court rejected this defence , emphasizing that physical assault is not a permissible response to a student’s failure to complete assignments, and noted that the act constituted abuse of authority with serious, long-term medical consequences.

Following the complaint by the student’s family, the Sector-21 police registered an FIR under Section 325 of the Indian Penal Code (voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act . During the trial, the court examined medical reports and testimonies of ten witnesses , including the student, her parents, and doctors, all of which corroborated the charges.

Patel’s lawyer requested leniency, citing that she was suffering from cancer, but the court observed that no documentary evidence was provided . It also emphasized that the seriousness of the injury, abuse of authority, and long-term medical consequences outweighed any mitigating circumstances. The judgment noted that granting probation would undermine deterrence and child protection objectives .

The Gujarat state government welcomed the verdict, stressing that corporal punishment in schools is unacceptable and that teachers must adhere to legal and ethical guidelines while maintaining discipline. Legal experts clarified that while teachers have the right to maintain order and guide students , this does not extend to physical assault , which is a criminal offence.

The court’s order includes Rs 50,000 as compensation to the victim to cover ongoing medical treatment. Authorities and child protection advocates said the ruling reinforces child safety norms and sends a clear message that violence in schools will be treated as a serious criminal offence.