R.Sethumadhavan, Principal District Judge and Secretary, District Legal Services Authority, has called for legal awareness among students, particularly medical students, as “we have to live under the rule of law”.
Inaugurating the legal aid clinic and legal awareness programme on anti-ragging law at the Thanjavur Medical College here on Thursday, Mr.Sethumadhavan said that ragging in any form is prohibited under law and students who indulge in ragging run the risk of jeopardising their future.
Children in the age group of 14 to 18 are dealt under Juvenile Justices Act for their acts of commission and omission. Anti-ragging law is very stringent and students can be dismissed for indulging in it. .
The judge also cautioned the future doctors against acts of negligence. Legal aid clinics would be set up and awareness programmes on anti-ragging laws would be conducted in 44 colleges and 84 schools in Thanjavur district, he said.
T.Malar Valantina, sub-judge, said that students can lodge a complaint about ragging within three days of the incident to the dean of the college or any other authorised authority.
Student who indulged in ragging will be suspended till the completion of the case. If found guilty, students will be dismissed from college and they cannot join any other college. Dean K.Mahadevan and Medical Superintendent Shankaranarayanan of Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, and M.Singaravelu, students’ adviser and professor of paediatrics, spoke.