Anti-ragging guidelines drawn up, State informs Kerala HC

The Keralam government informed the Kerala High Court on Tuesday that the Anti-Ragging and Student Welfare Guidelines have been drawn up to prevent and prohibit ragging, punish culprits and provide a healthy atmosphere on campuses. The Division Bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C. Jayachandran had previously directed the State to issue guidelines based on the draft Kerala Prohibition of Ragging (Amendment) Bill, until it was enacted. The guidelines were drawn up with the objectives of preventing ragging and explaining the legal rights and responsibilities of students and educational institutions. The guidelines also aim to establish a clear mechanism for reporting complaints, safeguard victims and witnesses in ragging cases, ensure free and fair enquiry, clarify legal and disciplinary consequences of ragging and achieve “absolute welfare of students”. 

The guidelines would apply to all educational institutions in Keralam and other spaces accessed by students during studies such as hostels, other dwelling places, means of transportation and waiting places for transportation. The Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA), the petitioner, pointed out that the punishment had not increased in the draft guidelines. KeLSA also suggested certain changes in wording to clarify the spaces encompassed under the guidelines. The court directed the State to issue the guidelines with the suggested change in phrasing. However, it held that enhancement of punishment would require an amendment to the governing Act, which would be considered at a later point. 

The guidelines stated that any act of physical abuse and ragging through digital modes, body shaming, teasing, abusing, or playing practical jokes to hurt a student would be considered ragging. A person who commits, participates in, abets or propagates ragging within or outside an educational institution would be punished as per the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998. A student convicted of such offences would be dismissed from the educational institution and would not be admitted to any other institution for three years from the date of dismissal. 

The guidelines stated that every educational institution must have an anti-ragging committee, an anti-ragging squad, a mentoring cell, and a wellness clinic and counselling cell. The universities would also be tasked with setting up an anti-ragging monitoring cell. The guidelines also require that a State-level anti-ragging monitoring cell or anti-ragging commission be established.

If a complaint is prima facie verified, it must be handed over to the police within 24 hours, and the accused student must be suspended immediately. If a ragging complaint was found to be concealed or unreported, the guidelines allow action to be taken against the head of the institution. It also sought to establish anti-ragging cells in police stations.