People's Democracy

SFI-DYFI Deplore Kerala HC Verdict

THE Central Executive Committees (CEC) of the Student’s Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) expressed shock and dismay at the judgement delivered by a division bench of the Kerala High Court which in effect granted the right to managements of colleges to prohibit the students from exercising their right to associate, assemble and join in any expression of their opinions or grievances.

In a joint statement issued on May 28, SFI-DYFI have pledged to do their best to uphold the right of students to assemble, associate and democratically express themselves.

The court gave its judgement while dismissing the appeal filed by Sojan Francis, a second year BA student, against the arbitrary steps of the management of the St. Thomas College, Pala where Sojan is a student. The court ruled that “…it is open  to the educational institutions to prohibit political activities within the college campuses and forbid students from organising or attending meetings other than the official ones within the college campuses….”

“This ruling in fact gives effect to and upholds the practice and assertion of ‘official’ politics by the management’s of colleges and disarms the students of their right to protest the ‘official’ politics which manifests clearly in arbitrary fee high hikes, doing away with students’ union, lack of proper educational facilities, curbing the facility of critical thought and democratic practices so essential to any education worth its name, and in so many other ways jeopardizing the future of the student community, education and the country and its people as a whole,” the statement said.

The SFI declared that it shall continue with its objective of championing the cause of education and student community of the country and also the cause of the country and its people. It affirmed that it shall continue with its work of organising the student community for the said objectives.