Kerala University Bans Campus Politics Under New Student Code

Kerala University has moved to bar political activity across its campuses and affiliated colleges, with the Syndicate approving the Kerala University (Students' Code of Conduct) Regulations, 2026. The rules prohibit active student politics and lay down disciplinary procedures, inquiry timelines and financial penalties for those who breach them.

Under the regulations, students may not organise rallies, strikes, dharnas, gheraos or sloganeering in classrooms, offices or elsewhere on campus. Mobilising memberships, collecting funds, defacing walls with posters or graffiti, and using social media to coordinate political unrest are also barred. Seminars and debates featuring celebrities or others with political affiliations — or links to activities described as controversial or anti-national — are restricted as well.

Academic work is carved out of the ban. Discussions, research, debates and classroom activities supervised by faculty are not treated as political activity, so long as they do not involve political mobilisation.

Disciplinary powers and penalties

Principals, heads of departments and the registrar can initiate disciplinary action once prima facie evidence is found. Students facing allegations may be suspended for up to 30 days, while grave offences such as violence, assault, extortion or molestation can attract a mandatory minimum suspension of one year pending investigation. A disciplinary process lasting up to 30 days can end in penalties ranging from formal warnings and compulsory issuance of Transfer Certificates to temporary or permanent dismissal.

The regulations also place joint financial liability on students and political organisations. A first violation without property damage carries a ₹5,000 fine for the student and ₹10,000 for the political party involved, with repeat offences escalating to as much as ₹1,00,000 for political organisations. Unpaid fines will be treated as arrears of land revenue under statutory revenue recovery procedures, which could lead to property attachment, withheld exam results and criminal prosecution under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, 1984. Students penalised under the rules may appeal to the Vice-Chancellor within 30 clear days of receiving the order.

Employees' union objects

The Left-aligned Kerala University Employees' Union has opposed the regulations, calling them undemocratic. The union argued that students should have the opportunity to build political awareness and take part in organisational activity in a democratic society. It also alleged that efforts to restrict student organisations were tied to wider ideological and political interests, claiming the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was pursuing an agenda to curb independent political thought on campuses.