TCN News
Lateef Mohammed Khan, who was working as a Gazetted Head Master at Govt. High School in Hyderabad was suspended from service on 17th May by the Regional Joint Director of School Education on behalf of Govt of Telangana.
Khan, who is also an activist has championed for the cause of justice seeking redressal from the Government for the violations of civil liberties of citizens irrespective of their religion, caste and social standing from the last 20 years.
He is the general secretary of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) a committee comprising citizens who work towards questioning and exposing the state representatives on their immoral actions and making them answerable and accountable to the law of the land.
The press statement issued by the activist members of CLMC state that Khan has been suspended from service on the charges that he has criticized the Chief Minister of Telangana K. Chandrashekar Rao by sharing and uploading a video on his social media account titled ‘KCR Exposed’.
And that the proceedings initiated against Khan by the Telangana Government are a classic example of violation of principles of natural justice, wherein a vague and ambiguous show cause notice was issued to him. There was no mention of either the complainant or the nature of complaint in the notice. However an ex-parte inquiry was conducted behind his back and he was declared guilty without being given a chance to reply or explain.
The most unfortunate part, states the press statement is that the Department of School Education is becoming a tool at the hands of vested interests by conducting a lopsided inquiry in a rush, and acting in an unreasonable manner by not even adhering to the basic minimum required standards of fair play and justice say CLMC members.
By joining Government service, one does not loose sight of one’s constitutional duties towards the nation. Questioning the government is every voter’s right.
Article 19 of the Constitution provides for Right to Freedom of Speech and Expression, and this important right of free speech is not merely to express laurels for the authorities but also to criticize them for their illegitimate actions.
Not just Lateef Mohammed Khan, many teaching faculty in colleges and Universities have time and again questioned and criticised the policies of the Government through their writings and talks not just in Telangana but across India.
Many activists, after learning about Khan’s suspension orders expressed that actions such as these mean there is no space for dissent and no space for democratic processes in the world’s largest democracy.
Appealing to intellectuals, civil rights groups and other organisations to support Khan and resist this attack on civil liberties the CLMC members say that the true spirit of democracy needs to be protected. They have also demanded the Government of Telangana to “ drop the arbitrary and whimsical proceedings initiated against our organization General Secretary Lateef Mohammed Khan”