Madras High Court upholds student’s suspension for engaging in altercation in college

Chennai: Holding that the decision of Velammal College of Engineering and Technology in Madurai, keeps in line with the guidelines issued by the Anna University regarding control of anti-social activities inside and outside the campus of higher educational institutions, the Madras high court has upheld the college’s order suspending a student for involving in altercation on the college premises.

Justice S. Vaidyanathan dismissed a petition filed by K. Rajaram, which also sought a direction to the college to permit his son R. Vikram to attend classes in second year B.E Civil Engineering in the current academic year.

The judge said a perusal of the records showed that the petitioner’s son was involved in a serious altercation and with an ulterior motive, he sought the help of outsiders and assaulted three persons.

Petitioner’s son was earlier involved in an altercation on the college premises and he had not bothered to inform the same to the college authorities and decided to settle the score between themselves.

Since the acts of the student were highly deplorable and totally undesirable and that he had disturbed the peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the college, he was suspended.

Thereafter, he was issued a show cause notice and final orders had been passed issuing a transfer certificate thereby warning others to behave properly, the judge added.

The judge said a further glance of the communication given to the petitioner would clearly show that after a preliminary enquiry, wherein the petitioner and his son appeared, it was ascertained that students were involved in a group clash with co-students and one of them had been assaulted and also tracing back records of his undesirable activities, the disciplinary committee had come to the conclusion that continuance of the petitioner’s son in the college would not be desirable in his own interest and also that of the college.

The said decision was also conveyed to the petitioner. After deliberations, the petitioner had agreed that he will take the transfer certificate at the end of the semester.

Based on the assurance, the disciplinary committee had accepted the request, the judge said.