Declaring that the use of minimal corporal punishment to discipline a student is not an offense under the Juvenile Justice Act or the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Kerala High Court has quashed a case filed against a teacher who was accused of caning a student.
Dismissing the case, Justice C. Pratheep Kumar observed that the registration of the First Information Report on the matter and the issuance of the injury certificate were done three days after the alleged incident.
A teacher at a private school in Venganoor, Thiruvananthapuram, argued that the stick was not a dangerous weapon and therefore did not constitute an offense under Section 118 (voluntarily causing bodily harm by means of a dangerous weapon) of the BNS.
The court accepted his contention, noting that the evidence indicated that the teacher used minimal corporal punishment to enforce discipline. There is no evidence to show that he intended to harm the child in any way. Teachers have the implicit authority to impose reasonable corporal punishment in good faith, the court said.
Published – 12 Feb 2026 0:41 AM IST