Kerala HC asks state govt to see if ragging laws need changes
Kochi, Mar 5 (PTI) The High Court here on Wednesday asked the state government to examine whether changes are required in the existing laws prohibiting ragging in educational institutions and directed that rules be formulated in colleges in accordance with the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
The query and direction by a special bench of Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C Jayachandran came while hearing a plea moved by the state's legal services authority, KeLSA, seeking effective implementation of anti-ragging laws and the establishment of a mechanism to monitor instances of ragging.
The bench issued notices to the state government and its various concerned departments, including Higher Education and Women and Child Development, as well as the State Police Chief, Bar Council of Kerala and the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, seeking their appearance on the next date of hearing on March 19.
It also directed the state government to file its stand on the petition along with an affidavit. Besides that, the High Court also directed that the University Grants Commission (UGC) be impleaded as a party in the matter.
During the hearing, the court suggested that the government can form an action group and that it should ensure in writing the work to be done by the state and district-level anti-ragging committees.
The court further said that if the state and district-level committees have not yet been constituted, the government should state how much time will be required for that.
The High Court had on Tuesday constituted the special bench to hear the plea moved by KeLSA which has contended that ragging was "a deeply entrenched social menace that continues to plague educational institutions, causing severe psychological, emotional, and even physical harm to students".
"Addressing this issue requires a well-structured legal and monitoring framework that ensures strict adherence to anti-ragging laws while providing victims with immediate support and redressal mechanisms," KeLSA has said in its petition.
Referring to the recent ragging incidents in a government nursing college in Kottayam district, another government college at Karyavattom in Thiruvananthapuram district and a private institute in Kozhikode district, KeLSA has claimed that such instances have occurred due to ineffective implementation of existing anti-ragging laws.
It has contended that the issue can only be addressed "through a robust, structured monitoring system at both the state and district levels".
KeLSA has proposed the establishment of a State-Level and District-Level Monitoring Committees for overseeing the implementation of anti-ragging guidelines, regulations, and judicial decisions while ensuring strict compliance by educational institutions. PTI
