Delhi Newsline : Colleges hail SC ruling on ragging

Express News Service

New Delhi, May 16: The academic fraternity has welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order on ragging on Wednesday.
The apex court, on Wednesday, directed educational institutions across the country to take stringent anti-ragging measures, including lodging criminal cases against erring students at police stations.


Acting on recommendations of the government-appointed committee on ragging headed by former CBI director RK Raghavan, the court asked for establishment of state-level anti-ragging committees and asked the NCERT to include a chapter on ragging under a sub-heading of human rights violation in social or civic studies.
“The interim order is very positive. The emphasis is on monitoring. Unless there is a check, ragging can’t be avoided. It’s a cognisable offence now and we’ll be happy to implement the directions,” said Ramjas College Principal Dr Rajendra Prasad, who was also a members of the Raghavan panel.
“We have met students who have been ragged. The report wants to empower the harassed. Here, victim comes later, harassment comes first,” said Prasad.
While the order on the full report is expected in August, the interim order asks states to evolve their own mechanism to form anti-ragging committees. One important aspect of the report is the introduction of a ‘mentor system’ where every freshers’ interest is protected by a senior student and faculty member. Colleges, meanwhile, are planning to include a clause in their prospectus that would make admission of a student null in case he is found guilty of ragging after admission, as per the report.
“Earlier, no one talked of discipline on campus. Now, the measures proposed will act as a deterrent. We’ll include a clause in our prospectus that would clearly caution students that they’ll be expelled if found guilty,” said Dr Harmeet Singh, principal of Khalsa College.

Link to report