(1.) Appellants who are studying in the College of Veterinary and Animal Science under the Kerala Agricultural University were suspended from the college on the charge of ragging junior students. After holding an enquiry, the University imposed certain minor punishments, one of which was that the period of suspension from October 31, 2007 to March 4, 2008 shall be treated as absence for all "academic programmes of the University".
(2.) After revocation of suspension, appellants approached the University seeking permission to write the supplementary examinations in some papers which they could not write (luring the period of their suspension. The University did not accede to the above request.
(3.) It was in the above circumstances that appellants had filed the writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for issue of a writ of certiorari to quash the order of revocation of suspension to the extent it treated the period of suspension as absence for all academic programmes of the University. The other prayer was to issue a writ mandamus to permit them to write the supplementary examinations and to regularise the period of suspension. The learned single Judge dismissed the writ petition declining to interfere with the stand taken by the University.