Student penalised ₹50 for bringing methi to school, civic body sends notice to school

A fresh food row was triggered on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) at a school in the Mira-Bhayandar region of Thane District in Maharashtra after a student was allegedly charged ₹50 as a penalty for carrying methi bhaji (Fenugreek vegetable) in his tiffin during the Jain community’s Paryushan festival.The Education Department of Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has issued a show cause notice to the school identified as Tapovan Vidyalaya, asking for an explanation for the incident and also visited the school on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).The notice read, “As per the RTE Act 2009, imposing such compulsion means a violation of the fundamental rights of students and a violation of the rules of the State Government. In this regard, submit an explanation as to why action should not be taken against the school by Monday (September 21, 2026). Otherwise, it will be assumed that you have nothing to say and further action will be taken. Please take note of this.”The notice was sent after a Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leader from Mira Bhayandar on Friday (September 18, 2026) raised a complaint with MBMC about school penalising students for bringing food of their choice to school, including leafy vegetables.“One of the students’ parents approached us and told us what happened to them. That is when we visited school, and the principal has also admitted that a fine was collected,” said Mr. D’Souza.This is the second incident around the food choices in Mira-Bhayandar school that has created an outrage, initiating a debate on why to impose dietary choices on students.Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danves raised eyebrows, saying, “Why does all this keep happening only in Mira-Bhayandar?” “Good thing the poor kid didn’t bring pizza or a burger, or else the school would have straight-up honoured him with an ‘Ideal Student’ award!,” he said on X sarcastically. Published - September 23, 2026 07:54 am IST