India's apex court takes serious view of ragging incidents

New Delhi, Mar 16 (PTI) Taking serious view of two
ragging incidents, including the death of a medical student
Aman Kachroo in Himachal Pradesh, the Supreme Court of India
Monday warned that time has come to cut off government aid to
insitutions that have failed to curb the menace.

The apex court, while issuing "show cause notice" for
contempt proceedings against the Principal and Registrar of
the Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Kangra, sought
explantions from Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, besides
an inquiry by the Medical Council of India (MCI) into the
alleged negligence of a doctor in treating Kachroo who
succumbed to the injuries.

The court's anguish came out during a "mention" by
Additional Solicitor General and amicus curiae Gopal
Subramaniam, who raised the issue in the wake of nationwide
outcry over the death of Kachroo.

In the other incident, a girl student was allegedly
forced to dance in nude by fellow senior students in the
Bapatla Agriculture and Engineering College in Guntur district
in Andhra Pradesh.

A bench of Justices Arijit Pasayat and Asok Kumar Ganguly
felt that time has come to cut off Government financial aid to
those institutions which have failed to curb the menace of
ragging as earlier directed by the apex court.

The Bench observed that "it appears that the concern
shown by this court have not been taken seriously by the
authorities. Prima facie it is a contempt of this court."

It regretted that the slew of directions passed by it
on May 16, 2007 and February 11, 2009 to end the menace of
ragging has not been complied.

The bench asked the Chief Secretaries and Directors
General of Police of Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh to
file separate affidavits to explain the steps taken by them
for complying with the earlier two directions.

The apex court asked the Registrar of the Rajendra
Prasad Medical College, Kangra to file an affidavit to explain
as to what action he had taken after the ragging incident was
brought to his notice.

It asked the MCI to conduct an inquiry into allegations
that though Aman suffered a perforated eardrum and internal
injuries, the doctor who examined him failed to conduct any
detailed examination of the victim who eventually succumbed to
the injuries on March 8.

"It shall be stated whether the doctor was negligent
in providing treatment to Aman Kachroo and as to what action
is proposed against the delinquent doctor if any," the bench
said in its direction to the MCI.

Agreeing with the Additional Solicitor General that the
matter was serious the bench observed, "Time has come for
cutting off the financial aid to these institutions which are
not complying with the directions."

The bench also sought explanations from the State
Governments as to what action it proposed to take against the
two institutions and further asked the respective colleges to
explain the action taken against the erring students.

The Additonal Solicitor General told the court that the
two incidents indicated that the authorities failed to
implement the earlier directions of the apex court to put down
ragging incidents with an iron hand.

Nineteen-year-old Kachroo died on March 8 after being
allegedly beaten up by four seniors at the Rajendra Prasad
Medical College in Kangra.

In another incident a girl student attempted suicide
by consuming pesticides after senior students forced her to
dance in the nude at the Bapatla Agriculture & Engineering
College in AP's Guntur district.

The Court passed the directions after Additional
Solicitor General and amicus curiae Gopal Subramaniam
mentioned the two incidents of ragging before the bench as
soon as it assembled for the day.

In a series of directions issued in May 2007 and again
in February 2009, the apex court had asked the college
managements to take steps like lauching criminal prosecutions
and rustication of students indulging in ragging.

The court had also asked the States to take necessary
steps against the mangements which failed to act firmly
against students indulging in ragging. PTI RB
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