JEDDAH, 25 June — The saga of the curious occurrences surrounding the International Indian School, Jeddah building case has taken an interesting turn. The chairman of the outgoing managing committee of the IISJ has written to the lawyer following the case instructing him not to pursue it.

In the letter dated June 22, 2002, a copy of which was made available to Arab News, Managing Committee Chairman Abdul Rahim wrote to lawyer Dr. Yousuf A. Al-Qayyim: "We would like to bring to your notice my letter dated May 28, 2002 informing you that the school has no legal responsibility to follow up the case at the court without the approval of the managing committee."

Rahim continues in the letter: "But Mr. Basharatullah has sent you a letter dated June 18, 2002 with different instructions. We would like to inform you that Mr. Basharatullah has no authority to write such a letter and he has not been appointed as a coordinator for the school building case after the Jeddah high court had given its judgment on the matter."

The chairman has leveled serious allegations against managing committee member Basharatullah in the letter. He writes: " He (Basharatullah) took the letterhead of the school and its stamp forcibly to write that letter.

Please consider that letter as null and void. The school’s managing committee members have not done anything in favor of his action."

Abdul Rahim concludes: "My letter dated May 28, 2002 remains the official directive from the school on this matter".

Arab News spoke to a few committee members to ascertain if the chairman had written the letter after authorization from the committee.

They said no such decision could be taken since no committee meeting has taken place in the recent past. The letter was written by Abdul Rahim on his own, they said.

Abdul Rahim confirmed this when contacted by Arab News. "I wrote the letter in my individual capacity as chairman and there was no managing committee decision involved in this," Rahim admitted.

Interestingly, Basharatullah was authorized by the full managing committee to fight the court against the builder and that authorization was never withdrawn.

There was gloom in the Indian community, and especially among parents of schoolchildren whose hard-earned money was being paid to the builder, after the school first lost the case in the high court.

However, despite heavy odds, Basharatullah filed an appeal in the court which upheld it and asked the high court to review the case after reconsidering several crucial pieces of evidence.

The court victory was hailed by one and all as it would save millions of riyals of community money.

Meanwhile, shocking documents have been provided to Arab News. In one of them, a draft letter has corrections allegedly made in the handwriting of Abdul Rahim.

It is the draft of a letter from the builder’s company Al-Maimani Est. and is addressed to Abdul Rahim himself! These corrections in the draft are duly carried out in the final letter.

Also, Zikrur Rahman, first secretary at the Indian Embassy in Riyadh, appeared in the court on behalf of the builder and said that the building belonged to Mahmood Al-Maimani. Many people consider his testimony clinched the case earlier in favor of the builder.

Earlier, in a letter to the builder on Nov. 25, 2000, Zikrur Rahman wrote: "The ambassador...has issued the following advice to the school:

othat the school should make full payment of rent due to you as per the lease agreement.

othat all litigation in respect of the dispute should be terminated as it is both expensive and futile; and

oif the school wishes to revise the terms of the contract....a negotiating committee should be formed to puruse the matter".

The letter concludes that in case "the school fails to meet its legal obligations...you are at liberty to take further action in the matter as you may deem fit".