Kerala HC slams hostel curfew for women, says ‘any form of patriarchy frowned upon’

The court was hearing a plea by a few women students of the Kozhikode Government Medical College against a notification, which barred them from stepping out of the hostel after 9.30 pm.
Kerala HC slams hostel curfew for women, says ‘any form of patriarchy frowned upon’
Kerala HC slams hostel curfew for women, says ‘any form of patriarchy frowned upon’
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The Kerala High Court, on Tuesday, November 30, frowned upon the expression of patriarchy in educational institutions through the imposition of curfew. “Any patriarchism — even in the guise of offering protection based on gender — would have to be frowned upon because girls, as much as boys, are fully capable of taking care of themselves,” Justice Devan Ramachandran observed, while hearing a plea by a few women students of the Government Medical College Kozhikode. The students had challenged a notification issued by the Higher Education Department, which barred female students from going out of the hostel after 9.30 pm.

Earlier last week, the students had protested against the curfew which, according to them, was mostly applicable only to the women, but not to male students.

Hearing the case, the court observed that there can be justification for the time curfew only if “compelling reasons are shown”. The court also observed that one of the reasons for fixing the curfew was that the students would find no reason to go outside after 9.30 pm, as the reading rooms and the libraries are closed by then. “However, there can also be situations where students would want to walk out at night, for other reasons, as they may deem. This has been restricted,” the court observed, and added that the competent authorities must come out with the rationale in imposing the curfew.

Pointing to the regulations of the University Grants Commission’s mandate that the rights of the students, especially women students, cannot be inhibited, Justice Ramachandran said that any imposition of curfews must keep this in mind.  “Any patriarchism — even in the guise of offering protection based on gender — would have to be frowned upon because girls, as much as boys, are fully capable of taking care of themselves; and if not, it must be the endeavor of the state and the public authorities to make them so competent, rather than being locked in,” the judge said and adjourned the case for hearing on December 7.

The students of the Kozhikode Government Medical College staged a protest earlier in November against the college hostel’s curfew. They said that though on paper the curfew was meant for everyone, it was strictly enforced only for the female students, and the men were free to come and go as they pleased.

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