The Supreme Court today issued contempt of court notices to registrars and principals of two government colleges in Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh for flouting the court’s directions to take strict action against those indulging in ragging.

A bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and Asok Kumar Ganguly issued show cause notices to the registrars and principals of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh and College of Agricultural Engineering, Bapatla in Andhra Pradesh asking them why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against them for not obeying the apex court’s direction issued to check the menace of ragging in 2007.

A first year Medical Science student Aman Kachroo (19) was brutally murdered by four senior students on March 8 in Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College hostel. The offenders, identified as Ajay Verma, Naveen Verma, Abinav Verma and Mukul Sharma, have been arrested under section 302 IPC (murder).

Ajay Verma was also suspended earlier for indulging in ragging.

In another incident, Nadiminti Triveni, a girl student of the engineering college in Andhra Pradesh also tried to end her life following torture and humiliation at the hands of her seniors.

Five senior girl students, namely Faravanthi, Sowjanya, Vanitha, Najma and Shalini, forced Nadiminti to dance naked during ragging.

While Faravanthi and Sowjanya, who were third year students, and Najma and Shalini, second-year students, have been arrested; Vanitha is yet to be taken into custody. She was also a third year student.

The apex court also issued notices to the chief secretaries and DGPs of the two states asking them to respond within two weeks why the court directives were not being implemented in the educational institutions run by the state governments.

The application filed by Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, also an amicus curie in the case, has 13 prayers, along with a request to the court to implead the state of Himachal Pradesh through its Chief Secretary and state of Andhra Pradesh through its Home Secretary.

The apex court today fixed March 30 as next date of hearing.

The apex court had earlier accepted R K Raghavan committee recommendations and directed the Centre and all state governments to implement its directions forthwith.

Its important directions included suspension and even rustication of students found guilty of indulging in ragging during inquiry, immediate registration of FIR against the guilty by the concerned educational institution, reduction of grant to government aided institutions and total stoppage of grant if the institutions were found guilty of not implementing the apex court directions on ragging.

The apex court had also directed the universities and colleges to institute anti-ragging squads to check the menace of ragging.

In last five years, 30 youths have been devoured by the demon of ragging. Anti-ragging Bill was introduced in Rajya Sabha in 2005 and is yet to be passed.

The Bill empowers the government to ban ragging in educational institutions and also make ragging a cognizable offence punishable with sentence of three years with a fine of Rs 25,000.

UNI