HC DECLINED BAIL TO KEY ACCUSED IN RAGGING CASE
Ragging is a barbaric and an unforgivable crime, and educational institutions should not adopt a “loose approach” toward the menace, the Madras high court observed on Monday. Justice R Regupathi, declining to grant anticipatory bail to a student accused of ragging his junior at the PSG College of Arts and Science in Coimbatore in March, also said stringent action should be taken against the senior students concerned in view of the grave and serious allegations against them. According to the police, a 19-year-old student, Akhil Dev, was ragged by his seniors on March 7. When he refused to lick their boots he was allegedly attacked and punched in the eye. He suffered eye and spinal cord injuries.The present petition was filed by Arjun Radhakrishnan, who apprehended arrest in connection with the incident. While he said there was no truth in the prosecution theory and that the college had exonerated him after an inquiry, the government said sufficient material had been collected to substantiate the offence committed by him. Justice Regupathi said some senior students with “poisonous minds” had behaved like animals and attacked juniors. He said: “It cannot be tolerated and taken lightly by courts. Granting relief in such cases would open the floodgates setting a very bad precedent and allow persons to indulge in such unforgivable crimes.” The judge also noted that the court could not appreciate the loose approach of the college administration in exonerating the senior student and other accused students. In spite of enactment of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act and other efforts made to curb ragging, it is excruciating to note that the menace continue to exist, Justice Regupathi said.
