1. Petitioners are the accused in Crime No.668/2010 of Medical College Police Station, Kozhikode. They are students of AWH Engineering College, Kuttikkattoor, Kozhikode. Crime 668/2010 was registered based on Annexure I complaint sent to Sub Inspector of Police, Medical College Police Station, by the Principal of the College, based on an enquiry conducted on receipt of a complaint forwarded an email by helpline @antiragging.net on 1.9.2010. The committee reported that petitioners were involved in asking the junior students to button up shirts, asking irrelevant questions, asking to tuck shirts inside and asking them to march on the road, after getting down from the bus. Petitioners were suspended as provided under section 6 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998 and the Principal forwarded Annxure 1 complaint to the police Station as provided in the section.

2. Section 4 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act (hereinafter referred to as the Act) is the penal provision. It reads:-

"4. Penalty for ragging -whoever commits, participates in, abets or propagates ragging within, or without, any educational institution shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonme