CHENNAI: The Kerala High Court on Wednesday criticised the notification barring female students from going out of the Hostel after 9.30 pm.
The court questioned why should there be a curfew for girls alone when there are no such restrictions for boys.
The HC was considering a plea moved by five female MBBS students of Government Medical College in Kozhikode.
A Single-judge bench of Justice Devan Ramachandran noted that imposing a curfew on women's hostel will not serve any purpose and nothing can be gained from mistrusting the women students.
“Lock up the men, I am saying (this) because they create trouble. Put a curfew for men after 8.00 pm. Let Ladies walk out," the judge remarked, according to legal news websites.
The judge, according to Bar and Bench, further noted that Kerala is yet to be free from archaic norms, underscoring that the older generation should not be allowed to take such decisions.
The petitioners approached the Court challenging a Government Order (GO) issued in 2019 that prescribed a condition restricting the entry and exit of hostel inmates of higher education colleges after 9.30 pm, without any reason.
"How long can we keep our students locked up?," the court, according to Bar and Bench, questioned.
"Think, Kerala has not grown up and our students are required to be kept locked up. So be it, if that’s what society wants. Let not these decisions be taken by people who belong to a different generation. As the saying, every generation is like a new country, we do not have any right to keep laws on the new generation," the Court observed.
Talking about restrictions put on women in society, the judge opined that women also have to live in society.
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"What benefit have we gotten by locking them up in the last centuries? Do you really think that things are better now? It Is far worst is a general opinion. What have we gained by mistrusting our children, nothing really?" the judge pointed out.
Justice Devan Ramachandran said that he is calling upon society to think about it and is opening the issue for discussion if needed.