Goa presses anti-ragging law

The Goa Governor Dr SS Sidhu revealed today that the government of Goa has passed a bill " The Goa prohibition of ragging bill, 2008" which has been signed by him and has now been notified as the Goa Act of 2009. The act pending since 2007 seems to have been notified after pressure from the central government to enact such a law to curb the menace all over the country.

The act gives the heads of educational institutions, a judicial authority to file fact-finding reports in ragging cases and makes the heads abettors in the act of ragging if they fail to take cognisance of the complaints made to them.

Mr Sidhu said that the practice of  ragging has become rampant and has now acquired serious proportions which has cost the sanity and even lives of some students. The Governor expressed satisfaction that the Goa government has passed such a bill. The bill  which was framed in 2006 was passed by the assembly in 2007.

According to the article 4 of the act, the principal of the institution acquires the powers to act as a judge. Any incident of ragging has to be reported to the principal. Within 7 days of receiving any complaint of ragging the principal is expected top prepare a factual report.

A student who is found to be guilty could end up being rusticated from the institute and depending upon the gravity of the act, the principal is entitles to refer the complaint to the police for further action. The principal, if found failing to take any action, would be considered to be an abettor to the act.

With colleges and schools reopening for the current academic year, the act seems to have been enforced at the appropriate time as the governor hoped for its effective implementation. The governor also stressed that it is the primary responsibility of the management of educational institutions and teachers to prevent ragging and also advised parents and guardians to counsel their wards to behave more responsibly while interacting with their juniors in the institutes.