Kochi, Nov 3 — The SFI in Kerala has suffered a major setback after the High Court set aside the order allowing suspended students of the Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, to appear for their examinations.
The Division Bench held that the earlier single-judge bench order was contrary to university regulations.
It passed the order on an appeal filed by Vice Chancellor Ciza Thomas, challenging the permission granted to the students.
The ruling means that 10 of the 16 suspended students, who were due to write the examinations, will not be able to appear for them.
The examinations are scheduled to begin on Wednesday.
The students have been under suspension for 65 days.
They were suspended following a campus agitation on August 23, which the university inquiry committee found had turned violent.
A single-judge bench had, on October 30, granted the students temporary relief, allowing them to write the examinations in view of their academic future.
However, the Vice-Chancellor moved the Division Bench against the order.
The university argued that allowing suspended students to appear for examinations by overriding disciplinary rules would set a wrong precedent.
The Division Bench accepted the university's arguments and quashed the earlier order.
The SFI activists described the latest verdict as unfair and said it would affect their academic future.
They are now considering other legal options.
The legal battle comes amid an attempt by the university to resolve the issue.
At a Syndicate meeting on Monday, it was decided that the suspension of 12 of the 16 students could be withdrawn if they submitted written apologies.
However, the students refused to accept the condition.
They maintained that their agitation was for legitimate demands and said they were not prepared to admit wrongdoing or submit apology letters to secure relief.
The inquiry committee's report, placed before the Syndicate, stated that the August 23 protest had turned violent.
It also referred to a symbolic funeral procession taken out for the Vice-Chancellor during the agitation.
The committee reportedly found that the incidents had affected the academic atmosphere and were unbecoming of a university campus.
The Syndicate took disciplinary action against the students based on the report.
With the High Court now setting aside the order that offered them temporary relief, the students face the prospect of missing their examinations, raising concerns that the setback could affect their academic year.