Corporal punishment has no place in a civilized society. Yet a recent High Court judgment in the southern Indian state of Kerala recently upheld the legitimacy of this method of punishing a child.
Condemned by psychologists and social scientists, the ruling comes at a time when India's school system is under severe strain. The syllabus is driven by a textbook culture that forces children to cram for exams rather than helping them develop as rounded human beings, sensitive to others.
The court order -- which admittedly allows the use of a cane or a teacher's palm only under "certain circumstances" and "within certain limits" -- is seen by many as giving license to teachers to vent their own frustrations. Most of them are underpaid, with the result that the profession attracts little talent.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.