Kerala High Court: Addressing the issue of regulation of students’ political activities against the backdrop of a fatal campus incident, the Division Bench of Soumen Sen*, CJ., and Syam Kumar V.M., J., observed that it is the responsibility of the Universities and Colleges to regulate student political activities and to ensure congenial atmosphere to curb any untoward incident. The Court directed the Syndicate of all the party Universities to formulate a mechanism to ensure that discipline is maintained.
The writ petition arose from an incident in Maharajas College, Ernakulam which resulted in the death of a student and sought preventive institutional measures. The petitioner sought a direction to Respondents 1 to 4 to take effective steps to ensure that such incidents are not repeated in any other campus.
The Court noted earlier directions directing the Universities to formulate a long-term regulatory measure or mechanism to address ‘political conflicts’ among the students and opined that it was the responsibility of the Universities and Colleges to ensure that no untoward incident took place in the campuses. The Court directed the Syndicate of all the Universities who were parties in the PILs to formulate a mechanism to regulate the political activities of the students in the campus and to ensure that discipline was maintained in the campus. The Court further opined that the Universities must ensure that a congenial atmosphere exists in the campus and must make all endeavour to ensure that academics is not compromised for reason.
The Court noted the Mahatma Gandhi University Students’ Code of Conduct Rules, 2005 (‘Rules of 2005’), which were framed with a view to maintaining and enforcing good conduct inside the classrooms and campus in the affiliated colleges, Department of Teaching and Research and self-financing schools of the Mahatma Gandhi University. The Court observed that all the Universities who are parties may consider the Rules of 2005 as model Rules and must frame appropriate Rules to be placed before the Court on or before the adjourned date.
The Court also directed that the Rules to be framed in terms of this order shall be shared with the Additional Advocate General and requested him to consider and make submissions on them and suggest any changes, if required, keeping in mind that the educational institutions should be kept free from political influence. Accordingly, the Court posted the case on 4-3-2026.
[Ajoy L.S. v. State of Kerala, WP(C) No. 22905 of 2018(S), decided on 4-2-2026]
*Judgment authored by: Chief Justice Soumen Sen
Advocates who appeared in this case:
For the Petitioner: Sajeev Kumar K. Gopal, Advocate.
For the Respondents: Asok M Cherian, Additional Advocate General, T.S. Shyam Prasanth, Government Pleader, Thomas Abraham, Standing Counsel.