Daily Current Affairs 14 July 2025 – IAS Current Affairs
Current Affairs 14 July 2025 focuses on the Prelims-Mains perspective. Major events are :
Anti-ragging System
Source: The Hindu
GS III: Science and Technology
Overview
- Why in the News
Why in the News?
The Delhi High Court has signalled that it may initiate a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) petition to address the recent surge in ragging incidents and student deaths across higher educational institutions.
News in Brief
- SC noted that UGC’s anti-ragging regulations remain mostly on paper.
- Institutions only follow formalities — like affidavits and posters — without real action.
- It directed the formation of a National Task Force on student mental health.
Ragging in India
- Students accounted for 7.6% or 13,044 of all deaths by suicide in India, surpassing the combined toll among farmers and agricultural labourers.
- Out of total student deaths, 13.5% were reported in Maharashtra, followed by 10.9% in Tamil Nadu, 10.3% in Madhya Pradesh and 8.1% in Uttar Pradesh.
- Reason for Ragging
- Supreme Court issued anti-ragging guidelines 15 years ago, but they have largely remained on paper.
- Students often lack knowledge of their rights and redressal mechanisms.
- UGC guidelines require students to submit anti-ragging affidavits annually, and as per RTI data shows that only 4.49% of students have done so in the past decade.
- Victims often struggle with an ad hoc, non-transparent process where complaints are not adequately addressed.
Guidelines and verdict
- Raghavan Committee in 2007 was constituted by the Supreme Court of India to address the menace of ragging in educational institutions.
- Vishwa Jagriti Mission v. Central Government & Others, 2001, the Supreme Court made ragging a punishable offense and mandated strict institutional measures.
- Supreme Court Guidelines: In 2009, the Supreme Court of India ordered the implementation of a ragging prevention program. The program included the following steps:
- Anti-ragging helpline: A toll-free helpline or call center to be set up.
- Regulations: Directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to frame regulations to curb ragging in higher education institutions.
- Anti-ragging committee: Mandated the UGC to constitute an Anti-Ragging Committee and an Anti-Ragging Squad.
- Society Against Violence in Education (SAVE) actively track cases and push for legal action against institutions.
- National Ragging Prevention Programme (NRPP), a data-driven mechanism, in 2009 under the UGC supervision.
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