Ragging is a known social interaction between senior and junior in school and colleges, which has taken a very brutal, inhuman and antisocial form in times. Generally ragging is physical jokes on somebody or teaching someone a lesson, 3which apart from causing grievous physical injuries, developed a fear psychosis among students that haunts them throughout their lives and due to that some quit education. It is a serious human right violation.
The Hon’ble Supreme Court of India has given a more comprehensive meaning of ragging as:
“Any disorderly conduct whether by word spoken or written or by or an act which has effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness any junior student, indulging in rowdy or indiscipline activities which causes or likely to cause annoyance, hardship or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in a fresher or a junior student or asking the students to do an act or perform something which the student will not do in an ordinary course and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame or embarrassment so as adversely affect the psyche and do a physical harm to a fresher or a junior student.”
The cause of indulging in ragging is deriving a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by the seniors over their juniors or fresher’s (as defined by Hon’ble Supreme Court of India).
Basically it is a western concept prevalent in European University where seniors played practical jokes at juniors at a time of fresher’s. But now it has taken a very worst form. Every country of this world had enacted legislation to prevent this social menace. Canada and Japan eradicated it totally. Now at present India and Sri Lanka are two countries where it exists. In India also attempts are made by some states to eradicate this menace by making legislation. i.e TamilNadu, Kerela, Maharastra, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Utter Pradesh, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Tripura, Assam, Goa and Jammu and Kashmir have state legislation on Ragging. In addition to that state legislation there is some central legislation in ragging Indian Penal Code, UGC Regulation on Curbing Menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, 2009 and Other Institute specific legislations.
Post Contributed by:
Rupa Pradhan
Asst. Prof. Of law
Indian Institute of Legal Studies
