UP Govt brings ordinance to ban ragging

14 October 2009:timesofindia.indiatimes.com:

LUCKNOW: UP government on Tuesday promulgated an ordinance prohibiting ragging in all educational institutions and making it a penal offence.

 

A decision to this effect was taken by the cabinet at its meeting presided over by chief minister Mayawati here on Tuesday.

The ordinance, according to an official press release, has been promulgated under the direction of the Supreme Court with an express purpose to curb the ragging effectively in the educational institutions. The ordinance will be ratified and made a legislation once the Vidhan Sabha meets.

 

Lucknow, Oct 13 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh cabinet Tuesday decided to make ragging a cognizable offence, an official spokesman said.

The new law would be named 'Ragging in Educational Institutions Ordinance, 2009′. The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government had initiated the move shortly after it assumed office in May 2007. There was, however, no progress so far.

"The state government also took note of the Supreme Court's oft-repeated stress on the need for putting an end to ragging in educational institutions," said the spokesman.

What prompted Chief Minister Mayawati to call for a strong law were a spate of suicides and deaths after ragging in a couple of private engineering colleges around this state capital in the recent past.

The new law would be applicable to all higher education institutes, including medical and engineering colleges across the state.