Published By: Sheen Kachroo
Last Updated: August 12, 2023, 16:07 IST
Girls sought the court to direct the college to fix the curfew at 9:30 pm.(Representative Image)
33 female engineering students from Mar Athanasius College in Kothamangalam have filed a complaint with the Kerala High Court about the women’s hostel’s discriminatory schedules
Women students at a college in Kerala’s Kothamangalam have filed a case with the Kerala High Court alleging gender discrimination and a violation of Article 14 of the Indian Constitution. 33 female engineering students from Mar Athanasius College in Kothamangalam have filed a complaint with the Kerala High Court about the women’s hostel’s discriminatory schedules. According to them, college officials have set a 6:30 pm admittance time for female candidates only. They further claimed in their plea that the deadline was discriminatory and beyond the college’s jurisdiction.
Students claim that the college breached the government order by adjusting the admittance time, as per reports. They also point out that the benefit of the government decree was denied to male candidates because the college set the entry time for the men’s dormitories at 9 pm. In addition, they sought the court to direct the college to fix the curfew at 9:30 pm.
While the Kerala government issued an order in 2019 requiring women’s hostels in all colleges affiliated with state universities to have an entry time of 6:30 pm, it also stated that laboratories, workshops, libraries, research centres, and sports facilities should be kept open until 9:30 pm to allow all students to use them without restriction.
“Under the pretext of implementing discipline in the College, the College cannot impose such restrictions preventing the liberty of the students to move in and outside the college campus,” the students said in the petition. The appeal has been filed via advocates Aswathy Krishnan, V Harish, Rajan Vishnuraj, and AL Navaneeth Krishnan as per The News Minute.
On August 11, Justice Basant Balaji’s single-judge bench listed the case along with other related cases. The court has scheduled a hearing on August 18 after the college’s lawyer requested more time to make a response, reports add.
On the other hand, the University Grants Commission (UGC) granted Mar Athanasius College of Engineering, Kothamangalam, autonomous status for ten years beginning with the academic year 2023-2024 in July. It is the state’s second government-aided engineering institution to be granted autonomy. The autonomy status granted by the UGC will help the college reach new heights in the future by shaping the curriculum, reports states.
