Denied education for the sake of morality :Bizarre Kerala High Court verdict upholds rustication of a live-in student couple

Kochi July 21 :The Kerala High Court has upheld a college management decision to rusticate two students living together and dismissed the petition filed by the female student challenging the college’s decision to suspend her for eloping  and living-in with a classmate.

The court dismissed the petition of  a 20 year old female student who was pursuing BA in English Literature at Mar Thoma College of Science and Technology, Chadayamangalam,

Just six months after she chose to live-in her 19-year old boyfriend who is also her classmate,both of them were indefinitely suspended from the college for living together.

The college couple had eloped and were living together in a lodge in Thiruvananthapuram, where they were apprehended by the police based on a missing man complaint filed by their parents.

The college principal, KC Mathew, says that the decision to suspend the would help in maintaining discipline, adding that for privately-run colleges like his, a strong reputation is essential for sustenance.

Justice K. Vinod Chandran, , said that the college was right about  dismissing the couple for their “indisciplined” act and that the Court is not inclined to exercise discretion in favour of the petitioner as to interfere with the orders passed by the college Management.

The court even went on to add that there was no violation of the couple’s rights .

The judge’s statements have raised eyebrows among women rights activists, who say they seem to have more to do with his ideas on relationships and social norms surrounding them than with the legality of the case.

There is no mention of the college rules and regulations that the couple may have broken or acts that they would have gone through,but only that a fair internal inquiry was conducted.

Recognizing that both were consenting adults, the court decreed that eloping together and living in without having legally entered into a marriage,the couple must be ready to face the consequences of this drastic step .

The female student in her petition says that the only thing she could be accused of was “falling in love with a classmate”. This not being a legitimate reason for dismissal, she said,as she given that she was two-thirds into completing  her course and had an excellent academic record.

Depriving a young couple of their education,only because they chose to live in together,is a pathetic excuse for stamping the definitions of morality and institutional discipline in a progressive age.

It seems that it is perfectly alright for our politicians to declare legal age of voting  and driving an automobile as 18, but adults have no right to be in a live-in relationship .This seems to be the message the law of the land is trying to impress upon.

For the sake of reputation and internal discipline of a private college, is it okay to deny two adults their chance to earn a livelihood and become useful individuals to the society.

Rather the just decision would at least have been to allow one of them to complete their education so that they could get a job for their sustenance .