Cuttack: Orissa High Court has called for curbing in a "drastic manner" ragging in educational institutions and ruled that penalty imposed for committing it is not illegal or arbitrary.

The court gave the call while considering the plea of two Madhusudan Law College, Cuttack, students. They had been suspended by the anti-ragging committee from the college from November 18 to December 31.

The court observed: "A student has to possess civilly responsible behaviour, which helps to maintain social order and contributes to the preservation, if not advancement, of collective interest of society at large. Therefore, it is expected from the petitioners to get education to maintain 'discipline' so as to project themselves a good citizen of India."

"As such, ragging nowadays has become a fashion, which has to be curbed in a drastic manner, so that the academic atmosphere of the institution is not impaired," the division bench of Justice Vineet Saran and Justice B.R. Sarangi obvserved.

"...if the anti-ragging committee, after examining the occurrence, has imposed some penalty, that cannot be said to be illegal or arbitrary. Rather, the interest of justice requires that academic atmosphere of an educational institution has to be maintained to allow every student to prosecute his or her study without any hindrance," the bench ruled in its December 18 order.

The bench did not find irregularity committed by the committee in suspending the petitioners to maintain peace.

"But at the same time, it cannot be lost sight of that children are vulnerable and they need to be valued, nurtured, caressed and protected. As a matter of fact, meanwhile one month, from the date of passing the impugned order, has already elapsed. Therefore, taking a lenient view, we hold that the order of suspension passed on November 18 will continue till December 18, instead of December 31," the bench specified.

It clarified that the suspension order "will have no impact on the career of the petitioners, other than a caution not to commit any indiscipline in the premises of the College in future, so that they shall mend themselves and their conduct and see that the glory of the noble institution remains unimpaired".

The court observed: "It is quite unfortunate that when the parents are spending money for betterment of their children, the children, without realising their own position, parental status and their survival in society, are indulging themselves in disputes creating an indiscipline situation on the campus of the educational institution."