Anti-Ragging Act

Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act 1999 and Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging (Appendix 12 published in AICTE Approval Process Handbook) and their amendments which may be published from time to time. The Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act 1999 is in effect from 15th May 1999 has the following provisions for Action against Ragging.

1. Ragging within or outside of any educational institution is prohibited.
2. Whosoever directly or indirectly commits, participates in abets, or propagates ragging within or outside any educational institution shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term up to 2 years and / or penalty, which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
3. Any student convicted of an offence of ragging shall be dismissed from the educational institution and such student shall not be admitted in any other educational institution for a period of five years from the date of order of such dismissal.
4. Whenever any students or, as the case may be, the parents or guardian or a teacher of an educational institution complaints, in writing, of ragging to the head of the educational institution, the head of the educational institution shall, without prejudice to the foregoing provisions, within seven days of the receipt of the complaint, enquire into the matter mentioned in the complaint and if, prima facie, it is found true, suspend the student who is accused of the offence, and shall, immediately forward the complaint to the police station having jurisdiction over the area in which the educational institution is located, for further action. Where, on enquiry by the head of the educational institution, it is found that prima facie, there is no substance, in the complaint received; he/she shall intimate the fact, in writing, to the complainant. The decision of the head of the educational institution shall be final.
5. If the head of the educational institution fails or neglects to act in the manner specified in section “d” above when a complaint of ragging is made, such person shall be deemed to have abetted the offence and shall, on conviction, be punished as provided for in section “b” above.
6. Undertaking from the candidate shall be taken while admitting the candidate in the Institute. Any Acts or its amendments which may be published from time to time by AICTE, Government or Judgements by Hon supreme Court of India, Hon. High court of Bombay etc. will be applicable to Candidates and Institutions covered under these rules of admission. If any of the statement made in application form or any information supplied or any certificate(s) submitted by the candidate in connection with his or her admission is later on at any time, found to be false or incorrect, his or her admission will be cancelled, fees forfeited and he or she may be expelled from the college by the Principal/Director. An appeal against the order of expulsion, however may be sent within 7 days to the Director of Technical Education, Maharashtra State, Mumbai, whose decision in such cases will be final. Such candidates are also liable for penal action as per the provisions in the law.

Ragging constitutes one or more of any of the following acts:

1. Any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act which has the effect of teasing, treating or handling with rudeness a fresher or any other student;
2. Indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in any fresher or any other student;
3. Asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which has the effect of causing or generating a sense of shame, or torment or embarrassment so as to adversely affect the physique or psyche of such fresher or any other student;
4. Any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any other student or a fresher;
5. Exploiting the services of a fresher or any other student for completing the academic tasks assigned to an individual or a group of students.
6. Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student by students;
7. Any act of physical abuse including all variants of it: sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping, forcing obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person;
8. Any act or abuse by spoken words, emails, posts, public insults which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to fresher or any other student;
9. Any act that affects the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by a student over any fresher or any other student.

Ragging constitutes one or more of any of the following acts:

The punishment to be meted out to the persons indulged in ragging has to be exemplary and justifiably harsh to act as a deterrent against recurrence of such incidents.

Every single incident of ragging a First Information Report (FIR) must be filed without exception by the institutional authorities with the local police authorities.

The Anti-Ragging Committee of the institution shall take an appropriate decision, with regard to punishment or otherwise, depending on the facts of each incident of ragging and nature and gravity of the incident of ragging.

Depending upon the nature and gravity of the offence as established the possible punishments for those found guilty of ragging at the institution level shall be any one or any combination of the following,

1. Cancellation of admission
2. Suspension from attending classes
3. Withholding/withdrawing scholarship/fellowship and other benefits
4. Debarring from appearing in any test/examination or other evaluation process
5. Withholding results
6. Debarring from representing the institution in any regional, national or international meet, tournament, youth festival, etc.
7. Suspension/expulsion from the hostel
8. Rustication from the institution for period ranging from 1 to 4 semesters
9. Expulsion from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution.
10. Collective punishment: when the persons committing or abetting the crime of ragging are not identified, the institution shall resort to collective punishment as a deterrent to ensure community pressure on the potential raggers.