A court-appointed lawyer told Justice Biswajit Basu of Calcutta High Court on Thursday that St Augustine’s Day School Calcutta had tried to bribe him.
The court was hearing a case moved by parents of some Class X students who were apprehensive that their children might not be allowed to appear in the board examinations in 2024 because they have not yet been registered for the test.
In the last hearing on September 13, a lawyer representing the school had admitted in the court that the school did not have affiliation with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE).
During the hearing on Thursday, the court-appointed officer, advocate Billwadal Bhattacharya, said the school authorities had offered him a bribe when he visited the institution to check some documents as directed by the court.
Sounding angry, the judge asked the counsel appearing for the school: “Why did the (school) authorities try to influence the court-appointed officer? What are they actually trying to hide? Playing with the fate of the students is a crime. The authorities made another mistake by offering money.... Does your client think that lawyers can be purchased?”
The lawyer appearing for the school authorities withdrew from the case. “I do not want to continue as a lawyer in this case. I never appear for corrupt people,” the lawyer said.
The parents who filed the petition alleged that they had paid the registration fees for their children to appear in the board examinations in 2024.
Bhattacharya, the court-appointed officer, alleged that the school authorities did not show him the class registers that he had asked for.
The principal of the school, Richard Gasper, said: “Since the matter is sub judice, I cannot comment.”
The school’s lawyer said: “I was informed that since the renovation work of the school building was on, the registers have been kept in a locked store room.”
The lawyer also said that the affiliation of the school was cancelled in May and the authorities were trying hard to get the affiliation back from the CISCE.
After the hearing on September 13, the court had appointed Bhattacharya as special officer and asked him to visit the school and file a report.
On Thursday, the judge said: “Considering the future of the students, my intention was to take a step that all 300 students could be sent up for the board examinations. But this action of the school authorities has thwarted my intention.”
The case will be heard again on October 4. All parties have been told to come up with suggestions so the students can write the examinations.
