Ban on St. Stephen’s e-zine ‘unsustainable’: SY Quraishi
2 April 2015 5:02 AM IST
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. Quraishi, an alumnus of the college, has written to 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.
“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,” 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.
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. Quraishi, an alumnus of the college, has written to 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.
“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,” 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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