Restriction on mobile use at hostel: Girl moves HC

A college girl in Kerala has approached the Kerala High Court against the restrictions imposed by the college hostel authorities on the use of the mobile phone.

Faheema Shirin, a second-year BA English literature student of the Sree Narayana Guru College at Chelannur in Kozhikode district, was allegedly ousted from the college hostel for not following the norm.

Faheema's father Haksar R K said that the fresh restrictions on the use of the mobile phone at the hostel was imposed last month.

The rule says that the students should not use mobile phones between 6 pm and 10 pm and the phones should be surrendered to the hostel warden during these hours.

Haksar told DH that the college authorities imposed the restriction citing that some parents wanted it.

He also said that his request to convene a meeting of parents of hostel inmates was rejected by the college authorities.

Faheema used to depend highly on the internet to clear doubts as well as download study material. Moreover, no restriction was imposed on use of mobile phones in boys' hostel. Hence it is gender discrimination too, he alleged.

As Faheema refused to follow the restriction, the college authorities asked her to vacate the hostel. Though many students were opposed to the use of mobile phones, they were not coming out in the open owing to fear of action from the college authorities, said Haksar, who is a native of Madapally in Kozhikode.

Meanwhile, the college principal Devi Priya told DH that since the matter was not pending before the court, the college management gave strict instructions to Faheema not to make any statements on the matter. The High Court is scheduled to consider the case on July 30.

"We have made the state government also a party in the case and it was high time that such restrictions were not imposed on students anywhere in the state," said Haksar.