SC widens ragging rod reach

SC widens ragging rod reach
OUR LEGAL CORRESPONDENT
New Delhi, Dec. 10: The Supreme Court today extended its anti-ragging rules to medical, nursing and dental colleges as well as government-run polytechnics across the country.

The apex court also noted that its strict “message” against ragging did not appear to have been driven home.

“It seems that the message to persons indulging in ragging has not achieved the desired results,” the court said after additional solicitor-general Gopal Subramanian drew its attention to 100-odd ragging cases reported in the print media during the current academic year.

All the media reports have been referred to the Raghavan committee, a Supreme Court-appointed panel to curb the menace.

The committee, headed by former CBI chief R.K. Raghavan, and the authorities of various universities will look into the reports and suggest action against the offenders.

The court directed the Raghavan committee to suggest ways to deal with those found guilty of ragging.

The apex court had in May this year issued several guidelines on ragging, including filing of an FIR by the institution concerned.

The court today directed all educational institutions to include in their admission prospectus a clause clearly stating that any student found ragging another would be expelled.