Kerala Prohibition Of Ragging Act, 1998

S.1 Short Title And Extent

(i) The Act may be called the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act 1998.

(ii) It extends to the whole of the state of Kerala.

S.2 Definition

"Ragging" means display of disorderly conduct, doing any act which causes or is likely to cause physical or psychological harm or raise apprehension or fear or shame or embarrassment to a student in any educational institution and includes :-

a) teasing, abusing of, playing practical jokes on or causing hurt to such student,
b) asking the student to do any act or perform something which the student will not in the ordinary course willingly do

S.3 Prohibition Of Ragging

Ragging within or without any educational institution is prohibited.

S.4 Penalty For Ragging

Whoever directly or indirectly commits , participates in, abets or propagates ragging within, or without, any educational institution , shall, on conviction ,be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extent to 2 years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.

S.5 Dismissal Of Student

Any student convicted of an offence under section 4 shall also be dismissed from the educational institution, and such student shall not be admitted in any other educational institution for a period of three years from the date of the order of such dismissal.

S.6 Suspension Of Student

(1) Whenever any student or, as the case may be, the parents or guardian or a teacher of an educational institution complains, in writing , of ragging to the head of the educational institution, the head of that educational institution shall, without prejudice to the foregoing provisions, within seven days of the receipt of the complaint , enquire in to the matter mentioned in the complaint and, it, prima facie, it is found true, suspend the student who is accused of the offence , and shall, immediately, forward the complaint to the police station having jurisdiction over the area in which the educational institution is situated for further action.

(2) Where, on enquiry by the head of the educational institution, it is proved that there is no substance prima facie in the complaint received under sub-section(1), he shall intimate the fact, in writing, to the complaint.