Achimota School has filed an appeal against the recent High Court decision requiring it to admit two Rastafarian boys, Tyrone Marhguy and Oheneba Nkrabea.
In a statement issued less than 24 hours after the landmark decision, the school’s board of governors stated that it has instructed its lawyers to appeal the decision because it disagrees with it.
“The court ruled that the School Management violated the two applicants’ religious rights by enforcing the school’s time-tested and well-known rules.” The Court also ordered that the two applicants be admitted to the school. The school board disagrees with the Court’s decision,” excerpts from the statement said.
An Accra High Court on Monday, May 31, 2021 delivered its ruling regarding the denial of two Rastafarian boys; Tyrone Marhguy and Oheneba Nkrabea admission to Achimota School because they failed to cut their dreadlocks.
Justice Gifty Adjei Addo, the Presiding Judge, disagreed with the submissions of the Attorney General and granted all the reliefs separately sought by the embattled students except the relief of compensation in the case of Tyrone Marhguy.
According to Justice Addo, it is preposterous for the Attorney General to have even suggested that the two were not students in the first place.
Justice Gifty Adjei Addo consequently directed Achimota School to admit the two Rastafarian students.
Lawyer for the two Rastafarian boys, Wayoe Ghanamannti in an earlier Citi News interview was indifferent about the possibility of the school appealing the decision.
He said while it remains within the right of the lawyers of Achimota School to appeal the decision, he is very content that his clients have received the green light from the court to go to school.
Also read: I’ll handle any stigma in school – Tyrone Marhguy
“They have the right to appeal. Our learned friends didn’t indicate any signal of an appeal, but they have a right to do so. Even when they do that, they would have started going to school. And before the appeal was prepared and put before a court of appeal and the court called upon to get the parties to appear and move the appeal and all that, they would have started school. When we get to that bridge, we will cross it,” he said on Eyewitness News.
Rastafarian boys’ case was too obvious for court dispute’ – Martin Kpebu
The Executive Director of the Human Rights and Governance Centre, Mr Martin Kpebu, says the case between the Rastafarian boys and Achimota School was “too plain” for a court dispute.
The Private Legal Practitioner, Martin Kpebu, speaking on Eyewitness News after the Human Rights Court 1 Division of the High Court in Accra ordered Achimota School to admit the boys, argued that the “constitution is clear in Article 28 and 21 that you don’t use somebody’s religion to discriminate against the person. Article 21 is clear that there is freedom of religion.”
Follow Clicks ‘n Likes On Facebook for more updates
