SC seeks response from Govt on ragging incidents

In the wake of two recent nasty ragging incidents in which a Medical student ragged to death while an Agricultural and Engineering student attempted to suicide, the Supreme Court on Monday gauging the seriousness of the case issued notices to Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh governments.

The chief secretaries of the two states have been asked to file affidavits on the action they have taken to implement anti-ragging measures according to the apex court directives issued in the last two years.

A bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and Asok Kumar Ganguly asked the two governments to file response within two weeks, and posted the matter for the next hearing on March 30. The directions issued after Additional Solicitor General and amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam brought the two incidents of ragging into notice of the bench.

The bench also issued show cause notices against the principal and registrar of a Himachal Pradesh medical college as to why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for the death of student Aman Kachroo allegedly caused by ragging.

The 19-year-old Aman died on March 8th after he was allegedly beaten up black and blue by four of his inebriated seniors at the Rajendra Prasad Medical College at Tanda village in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh. The accused had later been arrested and booked under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code.

In another shocking incident, a female student of the Bapatla Agricultural and Engineering College, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh attempted to suicide after allegedly been forced to dance nude by her seniors.

The number of ragging incidents has been reduced but could not be eliminated completely despite ragging has been banned by the Supreme Court with directions to all educational institutions to take stringent anti-measures, including filing criminal cases against delinquent students.

The Prevention of the Ragging in Colleges and Institutions Bill making ragging punishable with imprisonment up to three years and a fine of Rs 25,000 was introduced in the Rajya Sabha in 2005. However, it is yet to become a law.