Jharkhand High Court on Wednesday termed ragging in educational institutions an "evil", urging the government to ensure it was banned with immediate effect while hearing a case on the widely publicised incident of junior students being flogged at Sainik School, Tilaiya.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Tatia and newly appointed Justice Aparesh Singh wasn't convinced with principal Group Captain Anup Kumar Varshneya's explanation that the November 2011 incident was the first of its kind in the school.
"There is a house monitor and a house teacher with them all the time. This incident took place when the boys had finished their meal and were alone for a brief moment. The school is known for its discipline and strict regimen," said Varshneya.
But, the bench was not satisfied. "What is the use of discipline when such inhuman behaviour can't be prevented?" it asked, directing the state to ban ragging.
On November 14 last year, a division bench of the high court had instituted a PIL on its own as a response to a newspaper report of a senior student of Sainik School flogging juniors with a leather belt. The paper had carried a photograph from a cellphone video recording and a pupil's first-hand account of the physical torture.
In response, the bench had initiated a probe conducted by human resources development department secretary B.K. Tripathy. On Wednesday, Tripathy's sealed report ' submitted earlier ' was seen by the bench, which confirmed ragging had taken place.
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