"What pleasure can someone get by putting another person to such misery," MHC comes down heavily on college students for ragging junior
The students said that it was a mistake and they would not repeat it again.
Madras High Court
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court came down heavily on a private engineering college students, who had ragged a junior student by tonsuring his head for not giving money and imposed costs on the students.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh asked the eight students who had indulged in the ragging, what is the purpose of going to college while indulging in abhorrent acts such as ragging. It is better to remain illiterate than going to college to indulge in such an inhuman act, observed the judge.
"I really don't understand what pleasure can someone get by ragging and putting another person to such misery", the judge wondered.
The students said that it was a mistake and they would not repeat it again.
"What is the point in reading Thirukkural when you are not going to follow it?," asked the judge.
"There is no meaning in getting educated if a student lacks discipline," the judge expressed his displeasure.
The father of the victim student submitted that all the accused came to his house along with their parents and tendered an apology.
"Considering the future of the students we decided to settle the issue amicably by compromising," said the father.
After the submission, the judge quashed the criminal cases filed against the senior students and directed them to pay Rs 2,500 each to Tamil Nadu Advocates Clerk Association, Madras High Court within one week.
The victim is a student studying first year in a private college in Coimbatore, staying at the hostel of the college.
On November 6, 2023, eight senior students of the college, who were also staying in the same hostel, barged into the room of the victim and beat him severely with a belt.
Further, they dragged him forcefully into an abandoned room in the same hostel and locked the door.
When the victim tried to escape, they beat him black and blue for more than five hours, as the victim student refused to give money. Further, the seniors shaved off the head of the victim completely and threatened him not to disclose about the incident to anyone.
Later, the parents of the victim lodged a complaint against the students who ragged his son cruelly.
Based on the complaint, Peelamedu police under Sections 143, 249 (b), 323, 324, 342, 355, 506 (ii) of IPC and Section 4 of Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act.
