LATEST SUPREME COURT GUIDELINES ON RAGGING
Following the death of 19-year-old medical student Aman Kachroo at Dr. Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Himachal Pradesh, a Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice A.K. Ganguly has recently issued strict guidelines to prevent the menace of ragging in colleges and educational institutions. The Supreme Court was also hearing another case in Bapatla Agriculture Engineering College in Andhra Pradesh where a 20-year-old girl, attempted suicide due to ragging. The apex court had earlier appointed a committee headed by former CBI director R K Raghvan to look into the mater. Most of the recommendations of the said committee find a place in the guidelines. The salient features of the guidelines include:
a. The head of the educational institution and the jurisdictional police chief will be held responsible, if any ragging case is reported in their area.
b. A national level committee will be formed to suggest remedial measures in the school curriculum.
c. Immediate suspension of the senior students indulged in ragging.
d. Departmental action against all heads of institutions where ragging takes place.
e. High level security in all hostel premises and a strict vigil to be maintained.
f. Freshers to be divided into small groups and will be affiliated to individual teachers.
g. All colleges should hire psychiatrists to sensitize senior students, freshers and staff against ragging.
h. Panels must be set up to check the increasing incidents of ragging and rampant alcoholism in universities and colleges.
i. Students who indulge in ragging under the influence of alcohol must be sent to de-addiction centers.
j. Each state should have an anti-ragging committee, and anyone indulging in ragging must be given psychological treatment.
The apex court has also directed all state governments to give an undertaking about the steps taken by them to eradicate ragging.