As per the UGC Regulations 2009, ‘Ragging’ constitutes one or more of any of the following acts:
- Any conduct by any student or students whether by words spoken or written or by an act with
rudeness towards a freshers or any other student.
- Indulging in rowdy or undisciplined activities by any student or students which causes or is likely to
cause annoyance, hardship, physical or psychological harm or to raise fear or apprehension thereof in
any fresher or any other student.
- Asking any student to do any act which such student will not in the ordinary course do and which
has the effect or causing in generating a sense of shame, or torment or embarrassment so as to
adversely affect the physique or psyche of such freshers or any other student;
- Any act by a senior student that prevents, disrupts or disturbs the regular academic activity of any
other student including any one of the freshers.
- Exploiting the services of the freshers or any other student for completing the academic tasks
assigned to an individual or group of students.
- Any act of financial extortion or forceful expenditure burden put on a fresher or any other student
by students.
- Any act of physical abuse including all variants of sexual abuse, homosexual assaults, stripping,
forced obscene and lewd acts, gestures, causing bodily harm or any other danger to health or person.
- Any act or abuse by spoken words which would also include deriving perverted pleasure, vicarious or
sadistic thrill from actively or passively participating in the discomfiture to freshers or any other student.
- Any act that the mental health and self-confidence of a fresher or any other student with or
without an intent to derive a sadistic pleasure or showing off power, authority or superiority by a
student over any one of the freshers or any other student.
Punishment for Ragging
The UGC regulations stipulate that students can be expelled from an institute and debarred from taking
admission to any other institute for a specified period after being found guilty of the offence.
As per the regulations any student can be fined up to Rs. 2.5 Lakhs if found. In June 2009, the UGC has
notified a comprehensive set of regulations to curb the menace of ragging in educational institutions.
The UGC regulations provide for justification of a student, a period from one to four semesters.
Depending upon the nature and gravity of the offence as established by the Anti Ragging Committee of
the institution, the possible punishments for those found guilty of ragging at the institution level shall be
any one or any combination of the following:
- Suspension from attending classes and academic privileges
- Withholding/withdrawing scholarship/fellowship and other benefits.
- Debarring from appearing in any test/examination or other evaluation process.
- Withholding results.
- Debarring from representing the institution in any regional, national or international meet,
tournament, youth festival etc.
- Suspension/expulsion from the hostel
- Cancellation of admission
- Rustication from the institution for periods ranging from 1 to 4 semesters
- Expulsion from the institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution for
a specified period
- Fine ranging between Rupees 25,000/- and Rupees 2.5 lakh
- Collective punishment: When the persons committing or abetting the crime of ragging are not
identified, the institution shall resort to collective punishment.
