The ban on an e-zine run by some students of St. Stephen’s College has invited criticism from the college’s alumni, including former Chief Election Commissioner S. Y. Quraishi who has termed the move as “extreme” and “disproportionate”.
Principal Valson Thampu had last week banned the student-run website for not seeking his clearance on the content before publishing and had appointed a one-man disciplinary committee to look into the matter.
Mr. Quraishi, an alumnus of the college, has written to Mr. Thampu asking him to reconsider his move. “My four decades of experience tells me that this action has an enormous potential to recoil and will, therefore, be unsustainable on two counts, free speech and humour, the abiding identities of our college.
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“To my mind, maximum action that they deserved was a reprimand for violating a specific instruction. Banning the magazine altogether seems to be an extreme and disproportionate reaction,” Mr. Quraishi said in an email to the Principal on March 29.
“The e-mag was started with your approval and blessings. You had given them an interview, which shows your overt support. They were expected to show you a transcript. They did send you a transcript. After waiting for some time, they went ahead and published it despite your clear instruction to get the transcript cleared.”
“This was certainly a mistake that should have been avoided. But it appears that their intentions were not mala fide - just youthful enthusiasm and keenness to meet the deadline, which is understandable,” he further noted.
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The former CEC had also copied the email to former Delhi Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin.
“It has the potential of causing incalculable harm if not resolved satisfactorily immediately. As you (Quraishi) have analysed it is a case of overkill which is unacceptable when pitted against (the) fundamental right of free speech and expression.
“I am copying this to Mr. Thampu with a request to reconsider his decision by talking to students who hopefully would be willing to abide by a functionable procedure compatible with college ethos,” Mr. Sarin said in his response to the email.
The Association of Old Stephanians slammed the move and had written to noted alumni including Quraishi and politicians Shashi Tharoor and Mani Shankar Aiyar.
Mr. Thampu, however, remained unavailable for his comment on the issue.
The weekly e-zine, which was started by a group of four students from the college, went live on March 7 and registered over 2000 hits on an interview of Thampu, following which he ordered suspension of the publication for not taking his clearance for the issue.
The principal had formed a one-member disciplinary committee on March 24 to question the students and ordered that the publication shall remain suspended till July 2015.
“We haven’t been questioned yet by the college authorities,” said Devansh Mehta, editor and founding member of the web magazine.