Ahmedabad: The Gujarat High Court on Tuesday granted the state government a two-week time to issue a government resolution (GR) announcing the publication of guidelines aimed at curbing ragging in higher education institutes. These guidelines were originally issued by the University Grants Commission (UGC), All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the Medical Council of India (MCI).

Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, representing the state government, had requested additional time, stating that the GR would enforce strict adherence to all regulations by the institutions. Despite a suggestion from amicus curiae Amit Panchal for legislation to address ragging, Trivedi argued that separate legislation is unnecessary when the existing guidelines and regulations are sufficient.

The Chief Justice Sunita Agarwal and Justice Aniruddha Mayee, sitting on the bench, concurred with the government’s suggestion. They noted that such a GR would bind institutions recognized by the state government but not directly accountable to regulatory bodies like the UGC, AICTE, or MCI.

The High Court has been addressing a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the necessity to curb ragging in educational institutes, triggered by an incident at B J Medical College last year.  DeshGujarat