The Kerala High Court has ordered five TKM Engineering College students to perform community service for two weeks in order to dismiss charges of ragging two junior students.
While agreeing to dismiss the charges, Justice K. Haripal ordered the petitioners to perform two weeks of community service, preferably at the General Hospital.
The five suspects have been charged with ragging two of their juniors and causing them great harm. The accused was accused of abusing and manhandling the couple near a railway track, leading one of them to suffer a nasal bone fracture, according to the FIR.
Arguing that they have settled the matter among themselves, the accused moved to the High Court seeking to quash the proceedings pending against them.
The petitioners were represented by attorneys K. Siju, S. Abhilash, Anjana Kannath, and T.S Sreekutty.
Senior Public Prosecutor Hrithwik C.S agreed with the petitioners’ request to have the proceedings against them cancelled. However, given the gravity of the claims levelled against the petitioners, who allegedly subjected their junior students to cruel treatment, he urged that they be ordered to conduct some social work under the supervision of the District Legal Services Authority.
Muhammed Raffi, who represented the junior pupils in the case, agreed with this submission. The Court stated that because the case had been settled, the entire action could be thrown out.
The Judge, on the other hand, deemed it appropriate to order the petitioners to perform community service activity. The Secretary was to ensure that the petitioners were assigned social services for two weeks, at least eight hours per day, in accordance with the Superintendent of the General Hospital.
It was clarified that exoneration would only take effect if the Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, issued a certificate indicating satisfactory completion of social services was presented to the relevant Station House Officer. As a result, the petition was dismissed.
Sections 341, 323, 506, 325 read with 34 of the Indian Penal Code and Section 4 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998 were used to prosecute petitioners.