The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued show-cause notices to 89 higher education institutions across India, including five from Kerala, for failing to enforce anti-ragging regulations. The notice warns of strict penalties—including withdrawal of recognition and funding—if corrective measures are not taken within 30 days.
Among the Kerala institutions named are IIT Palakkad, Kerala Kalamandalam, APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (Thiruvananthapuram), Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University (Malappuram), and Sree Narayana Guru Open University (Kollam).
At the national level, prominent institutions served notices include IITs in Bombay, Kharagpur, and Hyderabad; IIMs in Bombay, Rohtak, and Tiruchirappalli; AIIMS Raebareli, Nalanda University, Aligarh Muslim University, IGNOU, and the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata.
Under UGC’s 2009 anti-ragging regulations, all institutions must collect affidavits from students and their parents each year affirming non-involvement in ragging. These undertakings must also be submitted to the UGC. The current notices follow repeated reminders to the non-compliant institutions.
The UGC has made it clear that failure to adhere to anti-ragging protocols will invite serious consequences aimed at protecting student welfare and campus safety.