'Settle matter out of court'

Calcutta: Calcutta High Court on Wednesday asked the parents of a dyslexic student and his school that hasn't allowed him to register for the Plus II board exams to settle the matter out of court.

"Legal battle can continue for long and it may hamper the academic career of any student," Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty observed.

The court shouldn't interfere in the matter for the sake of the student's uninterrupted academic career, the judge said.

Debasish Das had moved the court against the Ballygunge unit of Kendriya Vidyalaya where his son, Samlap, 17, studies.

The judge asked the lawyers representing Das and the school to tell their clients that he wanted them to settle the matter through discussion.

Das has alleged that the school didn't allow his son Samlap to fill in the registration form for the CBSE Class XII exams though the board asked for it.

Dyslexia involves difficulty in learning to read or interpret words, letters, and other symbols, but that do not affect general intelligence.

"We all want a successful academic career for the student. I am requesting both the school authorities and the petitioner to sit together and settle the matter so that the academic career of the student is not hampered," Justice Chakraborty said.

The petitioner's lawyer, Subrata Mukhpadhyay, and the school's lawyer, R.N. Bag, assured the judge that the matter would be settled through discussion.

In the evening, Mukhpadhyay told Metro that he would meet the school authorities on Thursday to discuss the matter on behalf of his Das.

The judge took the decision after Bag said the school couldn't allow Samlap to register for the Class XII board exams because it didn't have the affiliation for music and painting, his chosen subjects.

U.S. Mennon, the CBSE's representative, said the board had no problem in giving the affiliation if the school could provide the infrastructure.