The Madras High Court on Monday disposed of a public interest litigation petition filed by K. Krishnasamy, founder president of Puthiya Tamilagam party, with a direction to State Council of Educational Research and Training to convey to him a decision taken on his plea to include a chapter on Immanuel Sekaran in Tamil textbook for class VII, VIII or IX.
A Division Bench of Justices S. Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad passed the order after stating that a positive direction could not be issued to the government authorities to include the life history of Immanuel Sekaran in school syllabus as prayed for by the petitioner. He, at best, would be entitled to know only the decision taken on his representation, it said.
In his affidavit, the PIL petitioner had stated that Immanuel Sekaran was an eminent leader of the oppressed communities and an important freedom fighter. He had participated in the Quit India movement, at the age of 18, along with his father Vedanayagam and was imprisoned for three months.
“In 1945, he enlisted in the British Indian Army and worked as Havildar. After his discharge from the Army, he returned to his native in Ramanathapuram district where he fought against the practice of untouchability,” the affidavit read.