Revamping pre-primary Education under study, Government tells HC

The state government on Wednesday submitted before the Kerala High Court that it has been considering the proposal for restructuring pre-primary education sector.


“Before bringing the proposal for Cabinet council’s approval, several matters, including the selection process, qualification of staff, financial commitment and details of existing primary teachers have to be examined in detail,” General Education Department submitted.


 State made the submission on a petition filed by the Kerala Pre-primary Teachers’ and Ayahs’ Association secretary T Vimala against a single Judge’s order rejecting the association’s plea to hike salary.


 A Division Bench comprising Justice C N Ramachandran Nair and Justice B P Ray allowed the petition and asked the state to grant a monthly salary of `5,000 to pre-primary teachers in schools attached to government schools and `3,500 for ayahs as an interim measure until a final decision is taken by the state. The revised payment should be given from August onwards, the court held.

16 accused absconding, government tells HC

KOCHI: The state government on Wednesday submitted before the High Court that a total of 16 accused in the Shukkoor murder case are still absconding.
The government made the submission in response to the bail plea of two CPM activists, P Rajeevan and Ajith Kumar, who were arrested in connection with the murder. Appearing for the state, Additional Director- General of Prosecution K I Abdul Rashid submitted that 29 persons are accused in the case.
Of these five were arrested and eight surrendered before the court. “The probe is still not complete. The main culprits are not arrested and weapons are yet to be recovered,” the ADGP said. The witnesses are not coming forward to give statements against the accused as the murder took place in a CPM stronghold, Keezhara Vayal in Kannur, the ADGP said.  The government also submitted that, if the accused were released on bail there was every chance of them tampering with the evidence by threatening the witnesses.

Sr Ancy killed self, government tells HC

KOCHI: The state government on Thursday submitted before the Kerala High Court that Sr Mary Ancy of Holy Spirit Convent, Thiruvananthapuram, had committed suicide.
“She pushed open the slab of the water tank situated on the southern side of the convent and jumped into it, ending her life willfully,” the report said.
The investigating officer, Fort Sub division Assistant Commissioner M Radhakrishnan Nair, also submitted that there was no involvement of anyone else in Ancy’s death.
The officer submitted the report in response to a petition filed by Mathai Philip, father of the nun, seeking a CBI probe into the incident.
“No injury was noted on Sr Mary Ancy’s body and her death occurred owing to drowning. Doctors opined that there would have been injuries on the body if a person was forcefully pushed into the tank,” the report said. The petitioner had submitted that the death was suspicious because Ancy could not have moved the slab alone. However, the police pointed out that any person, even a woman , could remove the slab. Ancy was the person responsible for filling and clearing the tank. A woman of the same health and physical features as that of Ancy can move the slab easily.
The police also submitted that Ancy was under severe mental distress because of her allergic condition.
Sr Ancy was found dead in a water tank on the convent premises at Poonkulam in Thiruvananthapuram on August 17. The investigating officer further submitted that they had questioned and recorded the statements of 107 witnesses.