Wayanad school trip alcohol row: Students protest principal's transfer; tribunal grants stay

The Kerala Administrative Tribunal (KAT) has stayed the transfer of Shivi Krishnan, principal of Government Higher Secondary School, Meenangadi, in Wayanad, following controversy over a student study tour to Hyderabad.

The development comes amid protest by a section of Plus One and Plus Two students, demanding that the transfer be revoked. The Higher Education Department had moved Krishnan to Government Higher Secondary School, Vaduvanchal, citing alleged violations of rules during the tour.

Krishnan challenged the transfer before the tribunal, arguing that the action was unfair and that the school had followed the prescribed procedures.

How the study tour controversy began

More than 130 students from the school travelled to Hyderabad in separate buses last week. During the return journey, some students alleged that Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) president Hajis Ulladan had consumed alcohol.

Videos purportedly showing Ulladan in an intoxicated condition were circulated among parents through social media. Rumours subsequently spread that Krishnan had also consumed alcohol.

When the buses reached the school, a group of angry parents and political activists stopped the principal at the entrance. Police personnel intervened and escorted him to safety.

However, laboratory examination of Krishnan's blood samples found no trace of alcohol. Students who participated in the tour also supported him, stating that he had not consumed liquor. They said Ulladan had been moved to another vehicle after the complaint emerged.

Ulladan, meanwhile, denied consuming alcohol and said there had been no demand for his blood samples to be tested.

Dispute over permission and duration of tour

An inquiry by the Regional Deputy Director (RDD) of Education found that the school had not obtained permission for the tour, according to the initial findings. The trip, originally planned for three days, was also extended to five days. These alleged violations formed the basis for the principal's transfer.

However, school authorities subsequently produced a copy of an application seeking permission from the RDD, submitted on August 14, around two-and-a-half months before the tour.

They maintained that the office had not responded to the application. According to them, replies to such requests often arrive only after the completion of study tours.

The school management committee also alleged that Krishnan, who is associated with the pro-Left Kerala School Teachers' Association, was targeted for political reasons. It questioned why action was taken against him when other schools had undertaken similar trips to Hyderabad.

Students demand principal's reinstatement

The transfer triggered protests among students in the Plus One and Plus Two sections. They demanded that the department withdraw its decision and allow Krishnan to continue as principal.

The tribunal's interim stay has put the transfer order on hold.