The Madhya Pradesh High Court has stayed the suspension of a government teacher who was facing a lawsuit from the administration after he impersonated Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a satirical video on LPG price hike.
Saket Kumar Purohit, a primary school teacher in Shivpuri district’s Pohri block, was suspended on March 13 by District Education Officer (DEO) Vivek Shrivastava in a late-night order following a written complaint by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Pritam Lodhi.
Mr. Purohit was charged with posting an “inappropriate video with the intention of causing disturbance in the society and damaging the image of the (education) department” and violating the MP Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1965.
In the video, Mr. Purohit is heard saying that due to the increase in gas prices, people would go back to eating rotis cooked on traditional cookers and it would reduce the gap between the rich and the poor.
On March 25, single judge Ashish Shroti in Gwalior said that it was found that the suspension order was issued in haste on the same day of the complaint and “does not contemplate any investigation”.
“It is seen that on 12th March, at about 6 p.m., the alleged illegal video was uploaded by the petitioner (Mr. Purohit) on his Facebook account. On 13th March, the respondent No. 4 (Mr. Lodhi) wrote a letter to the respondent No. 3 (Mr. Shrivastava) seeking action against the petitioner. Thus, on the same day, it was clear that the impugned order did not come. reasonableness or propriety of suspending the petitioner The impugned order also does not envisage any enquiry,” the court said in its stay order, saying the DEO did not follow the government’s procedure.
The court also said that the DEO was acting “under the dictates” of the MLA, while he is bound to “reconsider the matter by applying his opinion to the facts and circumstances of the case”.
The court stayed the suspension of Mr. Purohit and directed the DEO to reconsider the matter and pass a fresh order.
Mr. Purohit’s counsel, Advocate Krishna Kartikey Sharma, argued in court that the video did not contain any objectionable material that could disturb the society, nor did it violate the Code of Conduct.
“My dear brothers and sisters, have gas prices come down or not? They have not come down. Gas prices have gone up or not? They have gone up. Gas prices have gone up because eating roti cooked on gas also creates gas in the stomach. And if gas is created in the stomach, you will get sick and if you get sick, the nation would get sick,” Mr Purohit is heard saying in a viral video imitating Mr Modi.
However, after the suspension, Mr. Purohit said “action taken without a hearing is not justified” and later challenged the action in the High Court.
Published – 28 March 2026 04:18 IST
