'Girls' rights can't be restricted': Kerala high court questions hostel curfew timings

The Kerala high court has questioned the curfew timings of girls hostel in the Government Medical College and asked the competent authorities to provide the rationale as to why restrictions have been imposed on students from even walking in the campus after 9:30 PM.

The court also observed that there could be justification for the same only if compelling reasons could be shown. The court was considering a plea moved by certain girl students of Government Medical College Kozhikode against the impugned notification issued by the Higher Education Department barring female students from going out of the Hostel after 9:30 PM.

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Reacting to the plea, Justice Devan Ramachandran observed that, "in the modern times, 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 endeavour of the State and the Public Authorities to make them so competent, rather than being locked in".

From the discussions it had with the Bar recently, the court ascertained that one of the reasons for imposing such a restriction was on the ground that the students would find no reason to go outside after the said time, since the reading rooms and libraries would have closed by then. 

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However, the Court noted that there may be other situations as well, where students would want to walk out at night, as they may deem, and it was on this basis that the court directed the competent authorities to provide their reasons for imposing the limitation.

• Curfew
• Girls hostel
• Government Medical College
• Kerala High Court
• Kozhikode