Kerala HC scraps ban on mobile phones at college hostel

The Kerala High court has scrapped the restriction imposed by a college hostel authorities on the use of mobile phones.

Faheema Shirin, a second-year BA English literature student of the Sree Narayana Guru College at Chelannur in Kozhikode district in North Kerala, had approached the HC against the ban imposed at the college hospital on students using mobile phones between 6 pm and 10 pm.

The High Court observed that the restriction on mobile phone use impinged on the fundamental freedoms as well as right to acquire knowledge. The court also ordered that the petitioner should be readmitted to the hostel, said advocate Lejith T Kottakkal, who appeared for the petitioner.

The High Court order issued by Justice P V Asha on Thursday stated that the hostel authorities were expected to enforce only those rules and regulations for enforcing discipline. Enforcement of discipline shall not be by blocking the ways and means of the students to acquire knowledge, the order said.

It was in June that hostel authorities imposed the restriction. Faheema, a native of Kozhikode, was ousted from the college hostel for opposing the direction. She maintained that she used to regularly access internet using her mobile phone for academic purposes.

The college authorities had earlier maintained that even many parents wanted to impose a restriction on mobile phone use as it affected the studies of students.

Faheema's father, R K Haksar, however, said that the college authorities declined his request to convene a meeting of parents of hostel inmates to discuss the matter.