Observing that it is imperative for educational institutions to create students with strong moral values, the Bombay High Court allowed a liquor restaurant to operate within 400 and 150 meters of a school in Pune's Junnar area. The HC said the school shouldn't feel that it's quality of education is so weak that students would be influenced by such a kind of hotel in the vicinity.
A bench of Justice Girish Kulkarni was hearing a plea filed by a school management challenging the decision of the Maharashtra government allowing the liquor hotel to operate within 400 and 150 meters of the school.
The school management cited the initial order passed by the district collector disallowing the hotel to function on the ground that though the main gate of the school is some 450 meters away but its additional gate is just 150 meters away from the site of the hotel.
The school contended because of such a hotel in it's vicinity, it's students would get influenced and might resort to activities against the law and order.
Having noted the contentions, the bench took into account the fact that another hotel serving liquor has been functioning just 350 meters away from the school from more than a decade and that the school management has not taken any objection against it.
"In the present facts, the institution ought not to have formed such opinion that the education being imparted by their educational institution was so fragile that the students would get easily influenced by a restaurant serving liquor in the vicinity," Justice Kulkarni said.
"If the quality of learning and inculcation of moral values in the children is to be of a standard, as what the ‘Father of the Nation’ intended to imbibe in our citizens, then the institution ought not to have worried at all, about any student being adversely affected, by any such place in the vicinity of the school," the judge added.
The bench further said that "it would be more imperative for educational institutions to create students with strong moral values so as to prepare them to face tougher journeys and
challenges in life."
"An educational institute certainly contributes in creating ideal citizens. Human virtues and morals can never remain the same," the judge said, adding, "It is thus more important that an endeavour of an educational institution should be to impart such education, so that the basic human values and good virtues are inculcated in the students, to make them ideal citizens."
"It is an onerous obligation for an educational institution to devote itself in building a robust society by imparting creative education at the school level which ought not to be overlooked," Justice Kulkarni observed.
The judge, accordingly, hoped that its words would fall on the receptive ears of the institution and the institution creates a situation for itself, that it would feel proud of its students.
