Thampu says ban on weekly in accordance with discipline norms

St. Stephen's College Principal Valson Thampu, facing flak from the alumni for "curbing" freedom of speech by suspending a student-run e-zine weekly, has defended the move saying it is in accordance with the institution's discipline norms.
In an open letter titled, "St.Stephen's and freedom of thought-what I wish I did not have to write," Thampu has said, "I feel greatly embarrassed not so much by the attack mounted on me as by the awkwardness of some of the alumni cutting such a sorry figure, intellectually, in public."
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.

He had also appointed a one-man disciplinary committee to look into the matter.
The move had invited criticism from reputed college alumni including former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) SY Quraishi and former Delhi Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin, who had requested Thampu to reconsider his decision which they thought was 'extreme' and 'disproportionate'.
"This is the tradition and discipline of the college, which is not of my invention.It is not a draconian measure freely improvised to stifle free thinking! The likely consequence, now or later, of an unregulated online publication put in the public domain in the name of the college could be enormous.And it is my duty to mind the interests of the Institution," Thampu said in the letter.