SC pulls up Andhra Pradesh for slack response

The Supreme Court on Thursday took exception to the Andhra Pradesh Governments failure to come clean about the status of its probe into a ragging incident at the Government Bapatla Agriculture and Engineering College. The Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat and A K Ganguly seemed annoyed when amicus curiae Gopal Subramanium informed that instead of the police registering a case against the college,the victim was made an accused for trying to end her life.

Some action should be taken against the college authorities, it observed while disapproving of the colleges stand that it was waiting for the police report on the incident. The college waited for the police inquiry instead of holding an internal inquiry, Justice Pasayat noted after the amicus complained that the college affidavit was silent on many questions.

Adjourning the matter till April 17,the Bench asked the state to file a comprehensive status report on the probe and also to place before it the report of the magisterial inquiry ordered by it. The affidavit submitted by the state has not said anything about the action taken by the principal of the college nor was there any mention of an internal inquiry.

The court,which has been monitoring the compliance of guidelines,had wanted to know what action had been taken against the principal of the college where a girl student was ragged by her seniors.