Sixteen suspended students of Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in Kalady, Kerala, have approached the Supreme Court after the Kerala High Court set aside an interim order allowing them to appear for semester examinations scheduled to begin on November 4.

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The students, who belong to the Students Federation of India (SFI), are seeking urgent relief to restore the earlier order passed by a Single Judge on October 30. They have also requested permission to appear provisionally for the remaining examination papers and special examinations for any papers missed before the Supreme Court decides their plea. 

The students were suspended on September 1, 2026, pending an inquiry into an incident involving a campus protest on August 13. The 16 petitioners are pursuing courses including MSW, MFA, MA, the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme and PhD.

The Single Judge had permitted them to take the examinations subject to the final outcome of their pending case challenging the suspension. However, the university appealed against the order, arguing that the students did not meet the minimum attendance requirements, had not passed the required internal examinations and had failed to complete examination registration within the prescribed deadline.

On November 3, the High Court Division Bench set aside the interim relief, citing insufficient pleadings and material establishing the students' eligibility to sit the examinations. 

In their Supreme Court petition, the students argue that any attendance shortfall resulted from their suspension, which prevented them from attending classes. They also contend that the university's objections concerning attendance and internal assessment were raised at the appeal stage, leaving them insufficient opportunity to respond.

The dispute remains linked to the pending challenge against their suspension and the university's disciplinary proceedings. The students argue that completing the examinations without their participation could result in the loss of an academic semester before their main case is decided.