School slaps a second expulsion order on India’s youngest RTI activist

New Delhi: Sitting at a small restaurant famous for its biryani in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, Mobashshir Sarwar can’t seem to concentrate on his food. “My mind is all over the place,” he says, smiling apologetically. “I am eating. But I can’t taste the food.” It is a wonder he is eating at all. Or smilling. India’s youngest RTI activist – Mobashshir is in Class XII — has taken the mighty Jamia Milia Islamia University to court after he was banned last year from his school campus (first reported on Firstpost, ‘Rebel with a Cause: Meet India’s youngest RTI activist’ ). The Jamia Senior Secondary School falls under the administrative control of the university. With only month to go before the Delhi High Court will hear final arguments in the case, Jamia administration has sent Mobashshir a second expulsion order (on 8 December) comprising an assortment of allegations against him, including labeling him ‘communal’ and ‘casteist’, and accusing of him ‘habitually disturbing the academic environment in school’. [caption id=“attachment_174089” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“India’s youngest RTI activist and a student of the Jamia Senior Secondary School, Mobashshir Sarwar. Naresh Sharma”] [/caption] Asked why he has been sent an expulsion order when the decision on the earlier expulsion order is pending in the High Court, University’s Proctor (from whose office the expulsion order was sent), Professor Masood Alam said, “The notice was issued a few days back. His case came up for the first time before the discipline committee. A decision was taken by the committee and it was communicated to him. It will be implemented subject to approval from the honourable court.” On the reason for Mobashshir’s expulsion, Professor Alam said, “Some complaints are there from the school principal, director and teachers and these were put before the committee. It was decision of the members of the committee. But the order states that it is subject to decision of the High Court.” A day after being issued his second expulsion order, Mobashshir was stopped at the school gate by the guards. When Mobashshir asked to speak to the head of security, he was let in. The expulsion, Mobashshir points out as did the proctor, is subject to the decision of the Delhi High Court. Described in court by the university’s counsel as being the ‘Anna Hazare of Jamia’, Mobashshir argued his case for 15 minutes before the judge. The university is already smarting under a court order directing it to allow Mobashshir to attend classes and his examas till such time that court decides the case. “What does it mean to expel an already expelled student,” asks Mobashshir, with a confidence of a lawyer who knows the defence has no case. Intriguingly, the very first witness — in the list of nine — that the university says presented themselves before the discipline committee to give evidence against Mobashshir, denied having testified before it. The ban order, a copy of which Firstpost has seen, states “Former Director Prof Mujtaba Khan explained to the committee that you (reference here to Mobashshir) had been perpetually and continuously creating mischief in the school, on one pretext or another.” Khan said, “I’m no more the director there, I left two months ago.” According to the notice issued by the proctorial department the discipline committee meeting was held on November 29, much after Khan had left as director. On pointing out that he has been quoted as witness by the university, Khan simply said, “I’m not a witness.” While he said that he had complained about Mobashshir about five months ago, he wasn’t keen on making an issue of it. On being specifically asked about the complaint he said. “That was long back…After that nothing has happened.” On January 12, one day before his pre-board exams start, the Delhi High Court will hear final arguments on Mobashshir’s petition challenging the last expulsion order. While his career hangs in the balance, the undaunted Mobashshir is focused on doing well in his exams. “My immediate priority is to prepare well for my exams. There is even more pressure on me now, to do well. I have a responsibility to show the High Court that I am a committed student,” he said.