JUDGMENT

The challenge in this writ petition is against Ext.P4 order of the Director of General Education requiring the petitioner to vacate her position as Trustee of the Lazar Nadar Educational and Research Foundation (‘ the Trust’ for short) within one month. The essential facts are as under;

The Trust is running a school named the Victory Vocational Higher Secondary School, Olathanni. The petitioner, one among the trustees, was appointed as HSA of the school and later as its Headmistress. Due to the inter se dispute among the trustees, a complaint was filed against the petitioner seeking appropriate action on the allegation that, by holding the office of Trustee and simultaneously functioning as Headmistress of the School managed by the Trust, she has violated Rule 8 of Chapter III of the Kerala Education Rules (‘ KER ’ for short). This ultimately resulted in the issuance of the impugned Ext.P4 order.

2. Heard, Senior Advocate E.K.Nandakumar for the petitioner, Advs.P.C.Sasidharan, Arun V.G and G.Sreekumar for the party respondents. I also heard Adv.Appu P.S., the Government Pleader appearing for the State.

3. Although various contentions on merits are raised by the learned couns