Kerala High Court directs the State to notify the Anti-Ragging and Student Welfare Guidelines within two weeks

9 October 2026

A special bench of Chief Justice Soumen Sen and Justice C Jayachandran directed the Kerala government to notify the proposed Anti-Ragging and Student Welfare Guidelines, 2026 within two weeks.
The notified guidelines must replace the words 'within, or without, any educational institution' in Clause 6 with 'within or outside, any educational institution'.
The direction came in a public interest petition filed by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority, which sought a stronger legal framework against ragging.
The court noted that the State legislature has not yet amended the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998 to match the proposed guidelines, which are to be followed pending legislation.
KeLSA asked for enhanced punishment and for ragging to be made a cognizable and non-bailable offence.
The Advocate General said such changes need an amendment to Section 4 of the Act and cannot be made through guidelines alone.
The matter is listed for further hearing on December 2.