KOCHI:The Kerala High Court on Tuesday directed the Kollam District Judge to name an Assistant Sessions Judge for making monthly visits to TKM Engineering College, Kollam, from July to December this year so as to ensure that no ragging takes place in the college during the period.
Justice Alexander Thomas issued the order on the petition filed by students of the TKM college, Sajith Khan, Dilshad Sadaque, Althaf Muhammed and Razak Mabafar, who are accused in a case registered under the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
The case is that the petitioners, who are senior students of the college, took five junior students to a lodge in the area and physically assaulted them, with the intention of harassing and ragging them. “The petitioners allegedly stripped the junior students and beat them,” said the police.
The High Court held that the Judicial officer should visit the college immediately after commencement of classes and interact with the principal, teachers, and hostel wardens and collect information about the ragging incidents.
If the officer gets convinced that the petitioners or any other students of the college are involved in any ragging incident, he may file a report with the High Court Registry. The accused students sought to quash the case, and submitted that they had reached a settlement with the complainants. The court, meanwhile, stayed further proceedings pending before the Kilikolloor police station, in connection with the case.
The police submitted that it was not the first ragging incident, and that such incidents had occurred many times earlier. Junior students were traumatised, and they did not file complaint fearing the wrath of seniors.
The college authorities informed that it has decided to instruct all the students joining the college to submit an ‘anti-ragging affidavit’ on 100-rupee stamp paper, signed both by the student and the parent. The affidavit should be attested by a notary on the prescribed format - that the student will not engage in any ragging-related incident.