HC to the rescue of student in dress code case

A division bench comprising jusitce K K Sasidharan and Justice M V Muralidharan coming to the rescue of the student for the mental agony and harassment suffered by her set aside the Rs 25,000 awarded by a single judge as against the Rs 30 lakh sought by her and instead directed the Tamil Nadu Homeopathy Council and the said college to pay Rs 5 lakh as compensation within eight weeks. 

The victim V Kamalam who had joined the Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery course (BHMS) had passed her final examination in August 2008 following which she had to undergo internship for a year. 

During such time, the college introduced a dress code for women stating that they should only wear saree since she attended duty in a salwar, she was denied training from November 11, 2008. 

Following this, she moved the Madras High Court in 2009 to forbear the College from imposing the dress code. This was allowed by the Court through an order on June 30, 2009 following which she was permitted to attend the internship. Even after completion of her internship, Kamalam was not given the provisional certificate and other necessary certificates. 

This prompted her to move the court again in 2011. While she received the provisional certificate after nine months, the transfer certificate failed to mention the conduct and character and other material particulars in it. This resulted in her moving the court yet again in 2012. 

But though the single judge who drew adverse inference against the college’s management awarded a sum of just Rs 25,000 as cost, which she challenged.