The Madhya Pradesh High Court stayed the suspension of teacher Saket Kumar Purohit over a satirical video mimicking Narendra Modi. Justice Ashish Shroti noted the order lacked proper consideration and inquiry before being issued.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has put on hold the suspension of a government primary school teacher who imitated Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a satirical video about rising LPG prices.
Justice Ashish Shroti observed that Saket Kumar Purohit was suspended after BJP MLA Pritam Lodhi demanded action, and that the District Education Officer (DEO) issued the suspension on the same day.
The Court stated,
“On the very same day, the impugned order came to be passed. It is thus evident that respondent no.3 did not consider the justifiability or desirability of placing the petitioner under suspension. Also, the impugned order does not contemplate any inquiry,”
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The Court further noted that the DEO did not take into account government guidelines that allow suspension of a public servant only when a major penalty is likely to follow.It emphasized that suspension should not be imposed routinely as part of a “suspension syndrome”.
The Bench added,
“The existence of the power to suspend an employee, the manner in which such power is exercised, and the propriety of passing such an order are distinct aspects. Merely because the authority is competent to issue a suspension order does not place such order beyond the scope of judicial review. If it suffers from non-application of mind or is palpably arbitrary, it is liable to be interfered with,”
Purohit, a teacher from Shivpuri district, was suspended on March 13 amid allegations that he posted “an objectionable video” intended to disturb public order and that he tarnished the education department’s image.
Challenging the suspension, his lawyer argued the video did not contain material likely to disturb society and that Purohit had merely referred to an LPG shortage attributed to the Israel-Iran war. The State countered that courts should not ordinarily adjudicate suspension orders and that being placed under suspension does not constitute punishment, the government’s counsel argued.
The Court, however, found the suspension to have been issued hastily, apparently under pressure from the local MLA and as a routine response. Accordingly, it directed the DEO to reconsider the decision with proper application of mind and in light of the State government’s 2005 instructions.
The Court set aside the suspension and returned the matter to the DEO for fresh consideration.
The Bench ordered,
“Since, prima facie , the impugned order dated 13.03.2026 (Annexure P/1) is found to have been passed without consideration of relevant circumstances, its operation shall remain stayed till passing of a fresh order by respondent no.3,”
Advocate Krishna Kartikey Sharma represented the petitioner, and a Government Advocate appeared for the State.
Case Title: Saket Kumar Purohit v The State of Madhya Pradesh and Others.
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