‘Islamic prayers’ row: In relief for teacher, Allahabad High Court halts his suspension

The Allahabad High Court has temporarily halted the suspension of a school teacher accused of permitting students to perform Islamic prayers. The court instructed authorities to complete the internal investigation against the teacher within 15 days. However, the court did not determine the validity of the allegations; it simply allowed the teacher to present his defense during the investigation.

Justice Manju Rani Chauhan heard a petition on September 7, challenging the suspension order issued by the district basic education officer on May 10. The teacher, Mohammad Anzar Ahmed, claimed he was on legitimate medical leave during the alleged incident and was not present when the events supposedly occurred. Ahmed contended that the charges were not severe enough to warrant such a significant penalty.

The court directed the investigation to be completed as soon as possible and within 15 days, and requested that all relevant documents be provided to Ahmed within three days.