Kerala High Court says dharna and hunger strikes have no place in democracy
A division bench set aside an order that allowed suspended students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit to write semester exams.
The Kerala High Court on Tuesday set aside a single-bench order that had permitted suspended students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Ernakulam district to appear for semester examinations.
According to The Indian Express, a division bench comprising Justices Anil K Narendran and S Muralee Krishan observed that political activities such as dharna, hunger strikes, and Satyagraha have no place in a constitutional democracy, especially in academic institutions.
The students, who belong to the CPI(M) student wing SFI, were suspended in August following a protest and a street play that allegedly insulted Vice Chancellor Ciza Thomas. During the agitation, the students demanded better academic facilities and infrastructure at the university.
The division bench noted that the single bench erred because the suspended students provided no evidence showing they were eligible to appear for the exams. The court stated that allowing students to write exams without meeting regulatory requirements would undermine legal standards and university disciplinary steps.
The court emphasised that educational institutions are meant for imparting education rather than politics. It said political parties cannot hold educational institutions to ransom through political ambition.
The bench further noted a lack of material in the writ petition regarding mandatory requirements such as minimum attendance, passing internal exams, and applications for attendance shortage condonation as required by university regulations.