‘A Girl Has Equal Freedom as a Boy’- Kerala HC Strikes Down Regressive Hostel Rules

1. ‘A girl has equal freedom as a boy’: Kerala HC strikes down regressive hostel rules Anjitha K Jose, a student of the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur had moved the High Court alleging that the hostel rules violated her fundamental rights. ‘A girl has equal freedom as a boy’: Kerala HC strikes down regressive hostel rules on The News Minute. Anjitha K Jose, a student of the Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur had moved the High Court alleging that the hostel rules violated her fundamental rights.

2. Kerala News» College students across India, aged 18 years and above, are more often treated like children under the protective custody of educational institutions. Female students, in particular, are often expected to adhere to regressive rules set by a college authority – whether it’s a curfew imposed on them or even whether to decide what political activity they should engage in. It is this practice that the Kerala High Court has questioned and ruled over in an order dated February 21, 2019. Dismissing the argument that college hostel rules are signed by parents of students, Justice A Muhamed Mustaque in his order states, “The petitioner is an adult. Her right to question cannot be compromised based on parental consent. Even if the parent had signed, instruction cannot be violative of fundamental rights.” The High Court’s judgement is based on a 2017 petition by Anjitha K Jose, then a third year Bachelors student at the prestigious Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur district. Anjitha had moved the court stating that the college’s hostel rules were stifling her fundamental rights. Striking down “Instruction 22”, which banned hostel students from taking part in political meetings, the High Court observed, “It is the fundamental right of every citizen to have its own political views as part of the freedom of expression. That can be only reasonably restricted for securing any objectives of the management of the hostel. Since it has no relation with power conferred with the management, I find this instruction has to be struck down as violative of fundamental rights of the petitioners.” While striking down the instructions regarding a student’s right to watch movies, Justice Mustaque stated, “It appears that moral choice of the management is attempted to be imposed upon the Boarders. The moral paternalism is something to be frowned upon. A girl is having equal freedom similar to a boy. There are no similar restriction in the boy’s hostel. It is for the students to decide whether they should go for first or second show movies or not. This is an activity outside... continue reading full story