The Kerala High Court on Monday, 1 June called for the constitution of a high-level independent committee to investigate allegations of harassment by faculty members in the state's medical colleges and recommend measures to protect students. The court's intervention came during the hearing of an anticipatory bail plea filed by a dental college professor accused in a case linked to the recent suicide of a student.

What the Court Said

Justice A. Badharudeen delivered sharp observations that went well beyond the facts of the individual bail matter, characterising faculty harassment in professional colleges as a systemic crisis requiring state-level action. 'In Kerala, medical colleges are ruining students. No doubt about it. They are very cruelly treating students, even PG students. Many complaints. It is a very, very serious matter,' the judge said during proceedings.

The court noted that students frequently endure sustained harassment in silence, fearing academic consequences if they challenge teachers or institutional authorities. Justice Badharudeen suggested an independent body be set up to collect confidential feedback from students, assess the scale of the problem, and prescribe remedial steps.

The 'Mother-in-Law Syndrome' Observation

In a particularly pointed remark, the court described what it called a 'mother-in-law syndrome' within professional institutions — a pattern in which individuals who were once subjected to harassment go on to inflict the same treatment on juniors once they attain positions of authority. The court indicated this cycle of institutional behaviour needed to be broken through structural intervention, not just individual prosecutions.

Background: The Kannur Case and Wider Concerns

The court's observations follow renewed attention on student welfare after the death of a dental college student in Kannur earlier this year — a case that triggered widespread debate over alleged caste discrimination, academic harassment, and accountability gaps in higher education. Student organisations and education activists have long demanded independent grievance-redressal mechanisms and stronger oversight of professional colleges, concerns that have gone largely unaddressed at the institutional level.

Notably, this is not an isolated concern: allegations of faculty intimidation and mental health crises among students have been increasingly reported from professional colleges across India, with medical and dental institutions drawing particular scrutiny.

What Happens Next

The Kerala High Court is scheduled to take up the matter again next week. The court's suggestion that the State government constitute a high-level committee now places the onus squarely on the administration to respond. If acted upon, such a committee could mark a significant shift from reactive criminal proceedings to proactive institutional reform in Kerala's higher education sector.