Ragging: ex-principal suspended

Responding to the MCI report by a three-member committee,a Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat found the approach of the former principal indifferent and insensitive. The report,seeking immediate suspension of Dr Shankhyan,described how incidents of ragging continued under him without any check. While amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium recalled several incidents of ragging within the college premises,the MCI said the former principal did not take any effective measures to stop them.

What intrigued and annoyed the Bench most was a note by Dr Shankhya on March 9,2009 on a complaint of a security guard which bore the date March 7,2009. The principal wrote,given to me by Warden on March 9; misleading information by security guard. Kachroo died on the night of March 8.

The MCI report has also slammed other faculty members. Despite constituting an anti-ragging committee subsequent to the apex courts guidelines in 2008, MCI counsel Amrinder Singh informed the court,members of the faculty failed to enure any effective implementation of the measures.

Meanwhile,the Bench also castigated the Andhra Pradesh Government and sought an explanation as to why no criminal case was registered against the principal of a college in which a girl student attempted suicide after being ragged. After being informed by the amicus that despite the state having an Act in place to deal with ragging,Section 7 meant for staff and authorities of the college was never invoked.

The court,while declining a plea for a CBI probe into the affairs of the Himachal college,told the Raghavan Committee to do the job.

In Shimla,Rohit Dhar,uncle of Aman Kachroo,has expressed surprise over clean chit given by the magisterial inquiry to the chief warden and warden of the RPMC hostel.