Kerala High Court Grants State More Time to Finalize Anti-Ragging Amendment Bill
The Kerala High Court ordered the state government to finalize the draft of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging (Amendment) Bill, 2025, granting additional time after a change in government. The petition was filed by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority following increased ragging incidents, including the 2024 death of veterinary student J.S. Sidharth. The amendment aims to strengthen legal protections against ragging in educational institutions.
The Kerala High Court's Division Bench, led by Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C. Jayachandran, directed the state government to take necessary steps to finalize the anti-ragging amendment bill on Wednesday. The court acknowledged that the newly formed Cabinet, following recent Assembly elections, needed to reconsider the matter since it was not involved in earlier proceedings. The petition was initiated by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority in response to a series of ragging incidents in the state, culminating in the death of J.S. Sidharth, a junior veterinary student at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Wayanad, in 2024. The court had previously noted there was no impediment for the Cabinet to finalize the draft before the elections, but accepted the government's argument that the new administration required time to review the proposal. The amendment bill represents an effort to strengthen legal frameworks against ragging in educational institutions.
What's missing
The specific provisions proposed in the amendment bill are not detailed in the article, nor are the particular recommendations made by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority or the timeline for Cabinet consideration provided.
What different sources said
- The HinduCenter
Kerala HC allows time to State on anti-ragging amendment Bill
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