Rs 1-cr notice to boy for asking school why he was failed

Mangalore Today News Network

Lucknow, May 12, 2016, DHNS: A prestigious school in Agra, about 350 km from here, sent a legal notice to a class VIII student seeking Rs 1 crore in damages after he sought to know why the school did not promote him.

According to reports, the student, Mohammed Shehjan, is from St Francis Convent School.

After the results were declared, Shehjan’s father Mohammed Sageer, a mechanic, gave a representation to the district education department officials stating that under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, no student can be failed up to class VIII.

The officials, in turn, sought an explanation from the school principal. After the school management failed to reply to the letter, education officials sent a reminder notice to the school management, which chose to ignore it.

Legal notice to school

Sageer then sent a legal notice to the school seeking the same information. In reply, the school also sent a legal notice to the student seeking damages of Rs 1 crore for “harming the reputation” of the school, sources said.

“Either tender an unconditional apology or pay damages of Rs 1 crore within 15 days,” the notice said, according to Sageer. He said the school management was infuriated at being served a legal notice as it felt that it would bring bad name to the school.

The school management said it was a minority institution and was not covered under the RTE Act.

“We do not have enough money to take care of our needs.... we cannot arrange Rs 1 crore even if we sell all our possessions,” Sageer said.

Shehjan said he had been studying at the school from the lower KG level and had never failed in any class. “Now, it seems I will have to study in class VIII again,’’ he told the local media on Tuesday.