Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999

Thanks to the relentless efforts of a voluntary organisation, Pravah, Maharashtra got itself a very strong anti­ragging law in 1999. Here's how Pravah got it done, in their own words, followed by the key features of the new law. Here's the source.

This Act is called the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999. Here are some extracts from the Act:

• "ragging" means display of disorderly conduct, doing of 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 ­
  • teasing, abusing, threatening or playing practical jokes on, or causing hurt to such student; or
  • asking a student to do any act or perform something which such student will not in the ordinary course, willingly , do.
• Ragging within or outside of any educational institution is prohibited.
• Whoever directly or indirectly commits, participates in, abets or propagates ragging within or outside any educational institution, shall, on conviction, be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years and shall also be liable to a fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees.
• Any student convicted of an offence under section 4 shall be dismissed from the educational institution and such student shall not be admitted in any other educational institution for a period of fiv e y ears from the date of order of such dismissal.
• Whenever any student or, as the case may be, the parent 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 prov isions, within sev en day s of the receipt of the complaint, enquire into the complaint, enquire into the matter mentioned in the complaint and if, 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 hav ing jurisdiction over the area for further action.
• If the head of the educational institution fails or neglects to take action in the manner specified in section 6 when a complaint of ragging is made, such person shall be deemed to hav e abetted the offence of ragging and shall, on conviction, be punished as provided for in section 4.