[HT] SC sets up panel to check ragging

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Satya Prakash
New Delhi, November 27, 2006

The Supreme Court on Monday set up a seven-member panel headed by former CBI Director RK Raghavan to suggest measures within four months to check the ragging menace which claimed several lives in the recent past on various college/university campuses across the country.

A Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat, which had in September last accepted the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations on cleansing the students' union elections, also approved the names of other members on the panel proposed by the Centre.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanian told the court that the Government wanted Director of IIT Kanpur, Principal of Maulana Azad Medical Medical College Delhi and Principal of Ramjas College of Delhi University to be on the panel.

Accepting the names, the Bench said these would select the rest two experts- one each from Mumbai and Chennai while Human Resource Ministry Joint Secretary Sunil Kumar would be the Member Convener of the committee. It asked the Centre to notify the committee forthwith.

The states have also been directed to appoint one person each to assist the committee and bring to its notice issues and material relevant to the exercise.

Directing the panel to go to the root of the problem and suggest measures and modalities to prevent/check it, the Bench gave four months to it to complete the task.

It also asked the committee to suggest what stern action could be taken against the students engaged in ragging and the authorities of educational institutions where such ragging takes place.

The court noted with concern that after it started hearing the matter, about 24 students, including the son of an IIT Principal had lost lives due to excessive ragging on college/university campuses in various parts of the country.

Email Satya Prakash: satya.prakash@hindustantimes.com