The Uttarakhand High Court has directed the Centre, the state government, and the National Medical Commission (NMC) to file affidavits detailing the steps taken to prevent ragging in higher educational institutions, including medical and professional colleges.
A division bench of Chief Justice G. Narendra and Justice Subhash Upadhyay passed the order while hearing a public interest litigation concerning the implementation of anti-ragging measures in the state’s colleges. The bench also asked the state government whether any specific legislation was being enacted to curb ragging.
During the hearing, the state informed the court that there have been no recent reports of ragging in any college or medical institution. However, the petitioner’s counsel alleged that false affidavits were being filed to mislead the court. The bench directed the petitioner to file a reply affidavit in response.
The matter is now listed for further hearing on November 17.
In earlier proceedings, the High Court had issued detailed directions mandating the formation of district monitoring committees headed by district magistrates and the establishment of an anti-ragging cell in every university. It had also made it clear that the head of each institution would be held responsible for any incident of ragging that occurs on their campus.
The court reiterated that compliance with these directions is essential to maintain a safe and dignified environment for students in higher education across the state.
