Savarkar quiz controversy: Kerala High Court stays Kasargod teacher’s suspension, allows inquiry

Kochi: The Kerala High Court has stayed the suspension of a school teacher from Kasargod who was caught in a political controversy after naming V.D. Savarkar in a freedom struggle quiz.

Guruprasad Rai K, an upper primary school teacher, was suspended on August 9 following an outcry over a question he prepared for the Social Science Club Freedom Quiz 2026.

The controversy centres on a question asked in the quiz: “Which freedom fighter received the maximum punishment from the Britishers?”

The answer given was V.D. Savarkar.

Kerala Education Minister described the question as an “intentional distortion of history”. Rai, however, disputed the allegation and said the action against him was politically motivated.

The teacher also argued that the question and answer were not factually incorrect. He maintained that the suspension was based on oral instructions rather than any official government rule.

Rai further claimed that the information may have been unacceptable to “a section of society”, leading to the action against him.

Quiz questions were sent to AEO

The High Court also took note of the process followed before the quiz was held.

According to the court, the questions prepared for the event had been sent to the Assistant Educational Officer (AEO) beforehand. The AEO raised no objections and subsequently circulated the questions to various school headmasters.

The circumstances surrounding the preparation and approval of the quiz therefore formed part of the court's consideration while examining the teacher's suspension.

The state has initiated proceedings to examine the “historical veracity” and “academic propriety” of the question.

Court allows disciplinary proceedings

On Wednesday, August 19, Justice Viju Abraham granted the teacher temporary relief by staying the operation of the suspension order for one month.

“I’m inclined to pass an interim order staying the operation of...order of suspension for a period of one month. But I’m permitting the disciplinary proceedings to continue,” the court said in open court.

The court made it clear that the inquiry into the question could continue. However, it observed that keeping Rai under suspension was not necessary for the disciplinary proceedings to examine the issues raised by the state.

The High Court has therefore allowed the authorities to proceed with their inquiry while temporarily halting the teacher's suspension.

The case will be considered further on September 18.