ragging

The NLSIU Bangalore Anti Ragging Squad Committee has upheld a complaint made about ‘major misconduct’ of ragging in 2017-18 by a senior student against a junior student of the law school.

NLIU Bhopal has barred six students from using its hostels pending its investigation into ragging allegations made anonymously against them, but the students have not been suspended from the law school itself contrary to media reports.

NLIU Bhopal is currently investigating complaints of ragging that were registered with the University Grants Commission (UGC), purportedly by first year LLB students of the law school against their seniors, as first reported by the Express.

NLU Jodhpur suspended three students found guilty of ragging by the NLU's anti-ragging cell for one year. It also suspended and fined two other students from halls of residence for a semester, and fined one student, all of whom were found guilty of abetting the act of ragging by the three expelled students.

Law student Aarushi Mahajan wrote a powerful piece in NLU Delhi’s Independent Student Newspaper Glasnost about her and other women’s experiences on the campus of one of India’s top national law schools.

NLU Delhi fourth-year student Naman Mohnot has written and published a book on ragging.

He describes the book as the “first book of its own kind on Ragging, which encompasses each and every aspect of ragging viz., definition, psychological aspect, legal aspect, judicial trend, alarming statistics, role of different machineries etc”, and adds: “The book is not limit to these points, but goes beyond it and gives the steps to be followed after being ragged. Thus, this is the first benefit oriented book which provides social steps, legal steps and other steps after being ragged.”

Mohnot’s book has a foreword written by senior advocate Ram Jethmalani and former Supreme Court judge Ashok Mathur, an introductory chapter written by former Supreme Court justice Arijit Pasayat and a prologue by NLU Delhi vice chancellor Prof Ranbir Singh.

Jindal Global Law School (JGLS) Sonepat expelled four students and suspended 12 others for bullying first-year students, reported the Times of India.

JGLS registrar YSR Murthy told the paper that the action was taken within 24 hours of the administration receiving the complaint of bullying, through an inquiry by a disciplinary committee. The law school also held an “open house” on Friday to sensitise students about the issue.

The suspended students will now appeal the suspension order before the law school’s vice chancellor.

Pending (yet) another look: Chief Justice of India (CJI) P Sathasivam has promised that immediately after disposal of the Mullaperiyar dam case a constitutional bench would be constituted to look into the problem of the Supreme Court’s pending cases [PTI]

Ragging cured yet? “Ragging on the campuses of premier institutions is more or less over. What awaits freshers is loads of fun and a series of interesting traditions that they have to follow with their seniors.” reports [TOI]. Last year Legally India reported how even though ragging at law schools has decreased, even its less sinister forms sometimes had negative consequences

Remove KGB: NGO Common Cause moved the SC on Friday seeking direction for removal of former CJI KG Balakrishnan as the chairman of the National Human Rights Commission [BS]

“Poor man’s advocate”, RIP: The Andhra Pradesh HC’s senior-most advocate – 83-year-old senior advocate C Padmanabha Reddy - passed away on Saturday at the residence of his son, AP HC Justice C Praveen Kumar Reddy, in Hyderabad on Saturday. He had argued the highest number of murder cases in the country and was also called the “poor man’s advocate” [Deccan Chronicle]

Exclusive: NUJS Kolkata banned a third-year student from representing the college in external activities this academic year, after a first-year student alleged he was ragged by his senior.

“If you don’t touch his balls, and it gets out that you didn’t listen to a fifth year, no senior will ever help you do research or anything. In fact, I think we might have a word with the student disciplinary committee. You know what they can make you do, right?”

Dear would-be law student,

(Ermm‘Teenie weenie’ died of over-use)

A few days back, I got a call from a would-be law student’s dad. When he was done with queries regarding the college, the things his son would need, placements etc. he handed the phone over to his son who I could make out, reluctantly, only reluctantly, took it.

‘Hi’, he said. A reluctant Hi, mind you. ‘How are you’, he said. A reluctant greeting again. The chap was nervous. I was amused. But then a very sure question from his mouth, surprisingly:

"How is ragging"?

"You don’t need to worry about it at all", I answered smiling.

"5 Point Someone"?, he asked.

"Sorry"?, (I didn’t get him).

"Ermm...Have you read Chetan Bhagat"?, he clarified.

"A bit".

"Do the things mentioned there happen during ragging"? he asked. The kid was keeping me in good mood. I was amused first, I had smiled before and now I laughed.

The thing is this: if you are going to make ‘The Five Point Someone’ a Bible for deciding what constitutes ragging, you better be an atheist. Read five point someone for a perspective on ragging and you are a ten point loser. I don’t care if you adore Bhagat or think he is trash. I am not concerned. I am concerned about ragging. Why so serious, son?

Now, I am going into a little pedantic mood. Excuse me for that.

If a senior asks you to sing a song, dance, do a pole dance etc. and you consider this to be ragging; you’ll be ragged.

Now, this is not ragging. This is interaction. Positive or not; I don’t know. Some would say it demeans the junior. Not really. If it does, then you and I are being demeaned day in and day out by various stakeholders. Being demeaned then should be a habit by now.

So here is the verdict: interaction (read singing, cat-walking, pole-dancing) happens and a ‘reasonable’ person ought to take this in his stride. How and why? Read on.

Understand the psyche of such seniors. I did psychology till grade twelve. Even if you haven’t should have heard of ‘peer pressure’. These seniors want to be cool and a part of the ‘in-group’.

Secondly they are playing ‘tit-for-tat’. They were made to do to such things and thus they make you do it. They are playing with you. Just like your boss will play with you. Just like he’ll make you do menial tasks because he was made to do menial tasks when he was not the boss. But that is it. Most of them don’t want to harm you.

Now, be reasonable. If you are asked to sing; sing. If you are asked to dance; dance. They aren’t judging you for a competition. So don’t be conscious or shy. If you feel uncomfortable, do it still. Life makes you to do a lot many uncomfortable things, anyway. These are little, innocuous things. Just do it. Get over with it.

Another thing: feign sycophancy. Pretend that you can boot lick till the boot is shiny (just kidding). But still, be humble. I mean pretend that you are a humble guy. Do this with your seniors as you will have to do this with your boss. Don’t be cocky. Cut the red, upright cock’s plume for a while. Cut down the volume of the cock-a-doodle-doos. You will be fine.

Do I support this sort of interaction? No. I am all for having fun for a while, getting to know each other and then helping the junior out. But yes, some people will demean you, through words. Let them go on and on. You don’t listen.

And yes, no one can dare use sticks. I know gory stories that happen. These are sad, and very unfortunate. Its great that a great many voices were raised and action taken. But please don’t take these incidents to be the norm. Nobody will get physical. They won’t even touch you. You can take me on my word.

What if they do or try to do so? Most probably they’ll be stopped at the ‘trying’ stage. And even this is a one in hundred cases or less. If they do hit, don’t hit back. You’ll be sacked as will be your senior. It is a lose-lose situation. Instead complain to a senior or the warden. And complain it as loud as possible. Like a wounded cock. Fear no one.

The senior who did hit you (took you by the collar?) or tried to do so will be punished real bad. Some 20 thousand rupees fine will be slashed, letters sent to his mom and dad or even an expulsion. He might even be put in a correctional home. I mean ‘Jail’. And people hate jails. All thanks to the rules on ragging have really hardened in the last couple of years.

Someone may ask you to ‘moot’ on some problem. That happened to us. It is a law school, after all. I also did recite some Hindi poem when I told them that by hobbies included poetry. And yes, we were made to do some Indian army style marching, some Western pole dancing. All this was fun.

Some of those ‘raggers’ are now very good friends. And regarding sticks and stones and ragging, I’ll leave it to Chetan Bhagat. That happens in his books. Not here. You know, he needs some masala for his books. Just kidding.

Yours reassuringly,

LegalPoet

PS 1-  The recent definition of ragging is very wide and includes causing mental and psychological harm etc. Someone in IITD tells me how their seniors ran away from the first years fearing that they might accidentally rag their juniors. Ha! Food for thought for Bhagat.

PS 2- I think that is about it for this series? Or do you have any topic in mind? Please do suggest.


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