Chennai School Moves Madras High Court Against Notice To Host Seva Bharati Camp

Sri Saraswati Vidyalaya has approached the Madras High Court challenging a show cause notice issued by the Directorate of School Education (Private Schools) for allowing the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to conduct their Seva Bharati camp in the school premises. 

Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy has ordered notice in the plea. 

The plea states that RSS camps are foundational for its structure, transforming volunteers into disciplined members committed nationalist vision, integral physical training, ideological indoctrination, community building, and developing. It states that boys and youth of all ages often join these camps and engage in a variety of activities with utmost discipline. 

The plea states that during December 2025, the school gave its playground to the party for conducting the Seva Bharati camp on 24th December and 30th December. The school stated that the camp was being conducted when the school was not functioning and the children were at home for the holidays. 

While so, on the day of commencement of the camp, the local police approached the school and asked them to send out the participants. The police also asked the school not to permit such camps in the future. 

Following this, the Directorate of School Education (Private Schools) sent a show cause notice to the school. 

The plea states that the impugned notice has been issued arbitrarily, without jurisdiction and devoid of any merits. It has been stated that the show cause notice cites violation of Rule 9 (jj) of Tamil Nadu Recognised Private Schools (Regulation) Rules, 1974 which prevents using of school building for conducting drill or training by persons who are not students or members of staff. 

The plea argues that the Rule prevents such usage only on days when the school was functioning and not during vacations. It has been further submitted that though the show cause notice also provides that no religious activity could be carried out, the camp was neither religious nor political. 

It has been alleged that the notice was issued with the sole intention of furthering the interest of the ruling party for upcoming elections and the government machinery was being used as instruments of oppression. Thus, the plea seeks to quash the show cause notice.

Case Title: Sri Saraswathi Vidyalaya v. The Government of Tamil Nadu and Another

Case No: WP/3368/2026