Gender discriminatory rules:SC asks BHU to consider grievances

The Supreme Court today asked the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) authorities to consider a representation of students who have questioned the "gender discriminatory rules" against the girl students.
The apex court asked the students of the university, who had challenged the rules, to raise their grievances through the representation to the university authorities.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and M M Shantanagoudar granted liberty to the university to file its reply with regard to any misconduct by students after its counsel said that the petitioner was involved in protests and a FIR was lodged against him.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan appearing for student Vikas Singh and others said that there were several gender discriminatory rules and regulations framed by the Mahila Maha Vidyalaya Womens' Hostel of the BHU.

He said that the hostel does not allow girls to go out of hostel, even in the campus, after 8 pm.
The girls can't use cell phone after 10 pm and if they use, then they have to put it on speaker mode. They are also not lowed to wear short dresses, he claimed.

Bhushan said that the girls were not allowed to access wi-fi and internet in their hostel rooms, while the male students were given all such facilities.
"If a girl is coming or going out of station from the hostel at night, she cannot go due to these rules. These are draconian and archaic rules," he said.

The bench said that these are all matters which can be dealt by the university, and going out of station in the night are exceptional cases which can be addressed on case by case basis.
The top court said that students should make a representation to the university authorities with regard to their grievances and it will look into it.