Southern States - Tamil Nadu   

Arm colleges with powers to curb unrest: High Court

By A. Subramani

CHENNAI FEB. 12. The Madras High Court has highlighted the need for arming college authorities with sufficient powers to deal with campus unrest, lest serious students be lured by a handful of persons who will spoil the academic atmosphere.

Passing orders on a petition filed by seven students of the South India Vanniar Educational Trust College here, challenging their expulsion for sponsoring a strike and for unruly behaviour in September 2001, Justice M. Karpagavinayagam said: "This case illustrates how students fritter valuable time, indulging in misbehaviour and violence; when ultimately, they are thrown out of the college, they come out as if writ jurisdiction is panacea to all misdeeds".

The authorities suspended P. Senthil, T. Jayasingh, S. Jayarathinam, M. Chandran, D. Rajesh, E. Suresh and M. Shankar for ``indulging in unruly violence, insulting teachers and damaging college property'. They were dismissed on October 15, 2001, after an enquiry committee heard the students and witnesses.

The students said the committee findings were not ``based on legal evidence'' and they could not cross-examine the witnesses. The dismissal was ``severe and unwarranted''.

On behalf of the college, it was submitted that the disciplinary proceedings were initiated under the Tamil Nadu Government Educational Rules, according to which the principal had full powers to inflict punishments, including expulsion, in the interest of other students and the institution.

Mr. Justice Karpagavinayagam dismissed the contempt petition in limine, and said the dismissal order did not `suffer from any infirmity, that too when there is no malice or bad faith on the part of the college authorities'.

He, however, directed the management to readmit Jayasingh, who had realised his misdeeds. While Senthil, Chandran and Shankar could write examinations, Jayarathinam, Rajesh and Suresh were not entitled to any relief.

Role for teachers, parents

Ruling out any malice or victimisation on the part of the college management, the judge expressed concern over rampant violence, ragging, eve-teasing and unruly behaviour on campuses, and said parents and teachers should play a pivotal role in cultivating good human values in students.

The judge directed the Education department top brass to circulate copies of the order to heads of all educational institutions in the State.

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