High Court Issues Notice On Plea Challenging Naming Of Kerala University College Festival ‘Intifada’ With Israel's Map On Logo
The Kerala High Court has issued urgent notice in a Writ Petition challenging the naming of the Kerala University's Youth Festival ‘Intifada’ with Israel's map on the log of the festival.
The Bench of Justice PV Kunhikrishnan issued notice in the Writ Petition to the Chancellor of the University and the Kerala University Union and has adjourned the matter for Tuesday. The Court has sought instructions from the Respondents.
Advocate Vinod Bhat appeared for the Petitioner Ashish A.S., a first-year B.Sc. Chemistry student at the NSS College affiliated to Kerala University. Government Pleader took notice for the State and Advocate Thomas Abraham took notice for Kerala University and its Vice-Chancellor. The Deputy Solicitor General accepted notice on behalf of the Central Government.
Kerala University organises the University Youth Festival every year. This year the youth festival has been named ‘Intifada’. "Intifada is an Arabic word, which means “shake-off”. Palestinians use the term to mean ‘civil uprising’. The word was used by the Palestinians in the wake of violence that erupted in Gaza between Palestinians and the Israelis. The term ‘intifada’ is historically linked with the militant/ terror groups like the Hamas of Palestine", the petition says.
As per the Petitioner, the logo of the festival depicts the scarf of Palestine on the map of Israel. The map of Israel is superimposed on the logo of the Festival. The caption to the logo reads “the protest of arts against the invasion”.
"It is respectfully submitted that the youth festival cannot be related to a riot or a war. But Ext.P1 (name and logo of Festival) sets a different theme to the youth of the State. There is no place for politics or geopolitics in a youth festival. Israel-Palestine conflict cannot be the point of discussion or the theme of creative expression", the Writ Petition reads.
The Petitioner says in the petition, "The popular association of the term ‘intifada’ with violent terror uprisings of Israel- Palestine conflict, is largely understood by the student body as a call for globalising and popularising sentiments against inclusivity. The debates and iscussions which have opened up in the college in the backdrop of the youth festival, varies from terrorism to politics- global, national and state. The student body which is a mix of diverse students from various religious and political backgrounds- is being rift into various groups, at this early stage in the youth festival announcement itself. This cannot lead to a conducive environment to foster goodwill amongst students of the University".
It is contended in the petition that favouring one foreign state over the other is sowing seeds of dissension in the society which counters the policy of the state to build a strong nation. As per the Petitioner, the true spirit of displaying art and culture during the youth festival gets buried deep in the heap of West Asian conflict.
The Petitioner prays for the issuance of a writ of mandamus directing respondents to remove the current logo used for the Youth Festival 2024 of Kerala University.
Cause Title: Ashish A.S. v. Union of India & Ors. (WP(c) No. 8526/2024)
