KOCHI: The High Court has taken a firm stand against ragging, which often turns into brutal harassment. A special division bench has been set up to hear ragging cases. The court also issued a strict directive to complete the university’s anti-ragging squad investigation into the death of Siddharth, a student of Pookode Veterinary College, by March 31. The order was issued by different division benches. The bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C. Jayachandran will now hear all ragging-related cases. In its first sitting today, the bench will consider a public interest petition filed by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KELSA).

The petition demands the formation of district- and state-level monitoring committees to ensure the effective implementation of anti-ragging laws. The petition was initially placed before a bench comprising Chief Justice Jamdar and Justice S. Manu. The petition also mentioned an incident where senior students at Kottayam Government Nursing College allegedly tortured a student using a compass and lotion. Given the seriousness of the ragging cases, the court decided to form a special bench.

Siddharth case: Stay on further studies to continue
The anti-ragging squad is investigating 17 students in connection with the Siddharth case. A bench consisting of Justices Amit Rawal and K.V. Jayakumar reviewed the progress of the investigation. The court rejected the response that the investigation would be completed by May 19 and ordered it to be completed by March 31 instead. The division bench also upheld the stay on further studies for the accused students. The next hearing is scheduled for April 9. The appeal filed by Siddharth’s mother, Sheeba, challenges the single-bench order that allowed the accused students to continue their studies at the Mannuthy campus.

Re-admission of accused students
According to College Dean Dr. Maya, readmission was given to students who had served disciplinary punishments in connection with Siddharth's death. Two students who had been expelled from the college for one year starting from March 2 have now re-entered the institution. Based on the anti-ragging committee’s report, cases and actions were taken under different categories. Those in the first category were expelled from the college, and their cases are still ongoing. Even students who had only witnessed the incident were expelled from the hostel. However, three students have been readmitted to the hostel.