CHENNAI: A PIL petition has been filed in the Madras High Court to declare the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Home for Women and Children (Regulation) Act 2014 and the rules as illegal and unconstitutional. A division bench of Justices S Manikumar and Subramonium Prasad, before which a batch of petitions, including one from a college student Deepthi staying at a private hostel in Choolaimedu, came up for hearing on Friday, posted them for Monday (Mach 11).
Petitioner alleged that the law and the rules, instead of protecting women and children, destroyed their freedom and independence. They are paying a rent of Rs 4,500 to Rs 6,000 with four women accommodated in a single room.
After implementation of the new Act and rules, the hostels are now demanding five times more than what the hostellers pay now, as the new rule stipulates a space of 120 sq.ft for a single inmate and appointment of wardens and security personnel, that too retired police personnel round-the-clock.
Now, the hostels are demanding Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000 by reducing the number of inmates and it has become a heavy burden on the hostellers, petitioners said.