Anti-Ragging
The Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1999.
An Act to prohibit ragging in educational institutions in the State of Maharashtra, WHEREAS, it is expedient to enact a special law to prohibit ragging in educational institutions in the State of Maharashtra.
It is hereby enacted in the Fiftieth Year of the Republic of India as follows:
“Ragging” means display of disorderly conduct, doing of any act which causes or is likely to cause physical, 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.
Prohibition of ragging Ragging within or outside of any educational institution is prohibited.
Penalty for ragging Whoever directly or indirectly commits, participates in, abets or propagates ragging wi thin 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.
Dismissal of student Any student convicted of an offence under the Act shall be dismissed from the educational institution and such student shall not be admitted in any other educational institution for a period of five years from the date of order of such dismissal.
Suspension of student
Whenever any student or, as the case my 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 provisions, within seven days of the receipt of 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 having jurisdiction over the area in which the educational institution is situated, for further action.
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 complainant.
The decision of the head of the educational institution, that the student has indulged in ragging under sub-section (1), shall be final.