Kerala High Court bars suspended students from exams

The Kerala High Court’s Division Bench on November 3 set aside an interim order allowing 16 suspended students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit to sit examinations, overturning a decision made four days earlier by a single judge. The exams were scheduled to begin November 4. The ruling followed an appeal by the university and Vice-Chancellor Ciza Thomas. The October 30 interim order had directed the university to accept examination fees and allow the students to take the tests while their challenge to their suspensions remained pending. The Division Bench’s decision means that 10 of the 16 suspended students who were due to sit the exams cannot do so, according to reports of the case. In its reasoning, the Division Bench said the interim order could not require the university to act contrary to its regulations. The university argued that the students had not filed examination applications by the deadline and that some did not meet eligibility requirements, including attendance and internal assessment conditions. The bench also noted that six suspended students were doctoral researchers and were not covered by the examination notification. It said the interim relief...