Teacher’s Authority Implodes: Slap Leads to Student's Longstanding Hearing Impairment

A school teacher has been sentenced to more than three years in prison by a court for an incident in which she slapped a Class 9 student, rupturing her left eardrum and causing hearing impairment.

The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate, Himanshu Choudhary, determined that the teacher's actions constituted an abuse of authority, resulting in serious injury to the 14-year-old girl, with long-term medical consequences. The victim is still undergoing treatment for the injury.

The teacher, Parulben Patel, was convicted under section 325 of the Indian Penal Code and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. She was also fined Rs 50,000 to be paid as compensation to the victim. The court dismissed Patel's claims of a false accusation and cancer diagnosis due to lack of evidence.