Delhi HC against expelling students for ragging

Expulsion renders them unfit for any other career, observes judge

While directing  Delhi University to take back two of its students expelled last year, Justice Rajiv S Endlaw said, “A student in the hands of principal/head is a child in the hands of a parent and a parent would never want the career of a child to be completely destroyed by expulsion which necessarily renders him unfit for any other career.”

The judge said, “No college would be willing to grant them admission to enable them to complete their studies and such frustration and disappointment or despondency would even lead either to suicide or turn them into anti-social elements.”

On the criminal complaint against the students, the court said: “To allow the punishment as meted out to stand would also amount to nullifying what this court had attempted to do by quashing the FIR against the petitioners. Not only the petitioners would remain without degree of graduation but their future prospects would also be seriously hampered.”

Delhi University’s Kirori Mal College in August last year had expelled two students for a year for allegedly ragging a junior in the hostel. The college authorities received a complaint from a first year BSc (Physical Science) student that he was being ragged and sexually harassed by two third-year students - Akshay Chaudhary and Hani Mohammad - in the college hostel.

The accused, however, have denied the charges and said their side of the story was not heard.  The court directed the university and Kirori Mal College to take back students as such harsh punishment like expulsion might result in bitterness which might turn a student to be an anti-social element. 

Students move court

The students had approached the High Court seeking direction to the university and the college saying that they have already lost one year and their life and career would be ruined if they were not allowed to complete the course.

The petitioners had been punished under the newly promulgated UGC regulations to prevent ragging and an FIR was also registered against them. The UGC had promulgated the regulations after the Supreme Court issued directions to the Centre on the suggestions of the Madhavan committee, set up to suggest steps to prevent ragging in the country.

The apex court had set up a committee headed by Madhavan, former CBI director, after the death of Aman Kachroo, a 19-year-old student of Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Kangra in Himachal Pradesh in August last year.

Kachroo had repeatedly complained to his parents about the raggings that took place on the campus by completely drunk third-year students, which had been conveyed to the college authorities.