The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to enforce the operational modalities set out in its draft anti-ragging bill while formal legislative approval remains pending.
A special bench comprising Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C Jayachandran ruled that the provisional measures outlined in the proposed law should be followed subject to finalization by the state legislature. The directive was issued after the court was informed that the draft bill remains under active consideration by the government and will require additional time to be finalized.
Background and Legal Action
The court order follows a petition submitted last year by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority (KeLSA). The legal body sought judicial intervention to establish an institutional monitoring mechanism and ensure the effective execution of existing regulations against ragging.
In its petition, KeLSA described ragging as a deeply entrenched social issue across academic institutions, noting that it inflicts significant physical, emotional, and psychological harm on students. The authority argued that the persistence of such abuses, despite existing legal frameworks and court precedents, points to critical gaps in institutional accountability and regulatory enforcement.
Institutional Failures and Proposed Solutions
To highlight ongoing enforcement deficiencies, KeLSA cited recent incidents of student harassment across several higher education facilities. These included reported cases at a government nursing college in Kottayam district, a state-run institution at Karyavattom in Thiruvananthapuram district, and a private college in Kozhikode district.
According to the petitioner, preventing future occurrences requires a structured and robust surveillance network. KeLSA urged the court to mandate monitoring systems at both the state and district levels to ensure oversight and compliance across all educational campuses.
