Kozhikode: The affiliated colleges cannot impose a fine on students on the basis of any disciplinary action. This rule was made clear in the Calicut University senate meeting. The clarification on the rule will be a boon to hundreds of students, especially those from self-financing institutions, where hefty fines have been imposed on students for even minor disciplinary issues. The clarification has come following a question raised by Senate member and Christ College, Irinjalakkuda professor Dr Sebastian Joseph. The clarification is expected to stop the wide scale of financial exploitation of students through fines by college managements.
Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Vice Chancellor Dr K Mohammed Basheer said that the University Act and statute had no such provision where affiliated colleges could fine students in connection with any disciplinary issue. Syndicate member Dr Fathimathu Zuhara. K added that the clarification would help in preventing colleges from imposing a financial burden on students for College managements’ faults. “In many cases when the University imposes a fine on colleges for their negligence in certain issues, they divide the fine imposed on them among the students so that the College management need not pay it. Such tendencies would stop with this clarification,” she added.
Dr Sebastian Joseph, who raised the issue in the Senate, said that many self-financing institutions have considered imposing a fine on students as a method of revenue generation. “Following in the footsteps of self-financing colleges, certain aided colleges have also started doing the same. My aim was to get a clear picture of what the rule says in such issues and the clarification from the university will definitely help the students from getting financially exploited by the management,” he added.
