What was supposed to be a judicial intervention into anti-ragging steps at the Jadavpur University and other higher education institutions of Bengal spilled over to a court direction for the state government to hold students elections across those institutions post haste. The elections, which are supposed to be held once every two years, remain in limbo for several years now, on account of complexities over amendment of the governing state Act.

The Division Bench of Chief Justice TC Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya stated, during the course of a hearing of a plea filed in the wake of the minor student who was ragged to death at JU, that elections to students unions should be held across universities in Bengal in order to effectively set up anti-ragging committees and anti-ragging squads across higher education institutions.

The court expressed concerns over the endemic of ragging prevalent across universities of the state and the non-implementation of the recommendations of the committee constituted in 2009 by the Supreme Court under former CBI chief RK Raghavan to rein in the menace.

“Petitioner points out that the RK Raghavan report’s recommendations on regular conduct of student elections, as well as constitution of anti-ragging committees and anti-ragging squads had not yet been implemented. Be that as it may, we direct state to immediately issue directions for conduct of student union elections [in Universities throughout the State] and forthwith direct for the constitution of anti-ragging committees and anti-ragging squads, with functionaries as pointed out in the committee report, if it has not yet been done,” the Bench directed.

The petitioner Sayan Banerjee, an advocate appearing in-person, submitted that the Supreme Court- validated committee report had not been implemented across the State.

The Bench observed on the need for adding the students unions as parties to the case since the Raghavan committee report cuts out specific roles of students bodies to implement measures and counter the menace of ragging but was informed by the petitioner that elections to students bodies remain pending at most of the universities since 2017.

The Advocate General appearing on behalf of the state submitted that the state wants to implement the recommendations of the Raghavan Committee and the universities would have to apply for permission if they wished to conduct elections. The State would provide all the necessary support for conducting those elections, the A-G maintained.

The matter was listed for further hearing on September 19. Speaking at a public rally of students in Calcutta last week, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had promised to hold the students body elections post-Durga Puja. She also said that a Bill to amend The West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Composition, Functions and Procedure for Election of Students’ Council) Rules, 2017 would be introduced in the next Assembly session prior to holding those elections.