Sanskrit varsity suspension row: Maintenance of discipline paramount, can’t be compromised, university tells Kerala HC

The maintenance of discipline was paramount and could not be compromised for a few students, the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, has stated before the Kerala High Court.

Sixteen students and Student Federation of India (SFI) activists had been suspended pending an inquiry for allegedly staging a mock cremation of the Vice-Chancellor, manhandling her and attempting to damage her property on September 1. They had approached the court challenging the suspension order and seeking permission to appear for the semester examinations.

Opposing the students’ plea in an affidavit, the university stated that judicial interference in the matter would prejudice its efforts to preserve academic discipline and ensure smooth functioning.

The University informed the court that the Syndicate had reviewed the Enquiry Committee’s report, which found the students guilty. It resolved that the suspension of 12 students could be revoked if they tendered an unconditional apology. The suspension of four other students was extended by another two months, the university stated.

The university said the Syndicate had taken a lenient view. It opposed the students’ contention that the suspension was prolonged and said the inquiry had been concluded within two months.

The students’ plea was futile at this stage as the examinations were over and the inquiry had concluded, the university stated. In any case, the students did not have the required attendance to appear for the examinations, and a shortage of attendance due to suspension was not a ground for condonation under university rules. Further, they had neither applied for condonation of the attendance shortage nor secured the required internal marks, it stated.

The alleged grievances regarding vacancies, certificates, infrastructure and fellowships could not justify the students’ conduct, the university claimed. It also pointed to criminal cases registered against several students with the Kalady police. It alleged that active workers of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) were involved in the student protest and that prominent LDF leaders had visited the Satyagraha Pandal. The protest was not for academic reasons but was aimed at using the University as a platform to mobilise the student community for a larger political campaign following the last Assembly election, it stated.

The university further stated that if the students were aggrieved over the lack of academic facilities, they should have tendered an unconditional apology to secure reinstatement, as had been done in earlier instances. Instead, the students chose to approach the High Court with their grievances without first seeking alternative remedies, such as the University’s grievance redressal platforms, to sensationalise the matter for political motives, it stated.