GMERS ragging death case: 15 MBBS students suspended for 2 years, fined Rs 1 lakh each
Ahmedabad: Taking cognisance of the ragging incident, the authorities at GMERS Medical College, Dharpur, have suspended all 15 MBBS students for two years and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh each.
The Gujarat High Court recently allowed the 15 MBBS students to withdraw their petitions after the college's anti-ragging committee officially issued suspension orders against them.
The students had earlier approached the court claiming that they were suspended without any formal order. They argued in the court that their suspension order was "contrary to the University Grants Commission's guidelines", as it was passed without hearing them.
Medical Dialogues had earlier reported about the ragging incident at GMERS Dharpur. According to a statement of a first-year student, some junior students, including the deceased student, were forced to stand for around three hours and introduce themselves individually. They were also allegedly forced to sing and dance, utter abusive words and not leave the room.
Also read- GMERS Ragging Death Case: Medicos Seek HC Relief Against Indefinite Suspension
Following this, one student's health deteriorated. He fainted and fell unconscious at around midnight. He was rushed to a hospital where doctors declared him brought dead.
The names of the accused students in this case emerged after the college authorities informed the anti-ragging cell of the matter. The committee, chaired by Dean Dr Hardik Shah, took the statements of 26 students- 11 first-year and 15 second-year students- and found that 11 first-year students were subjected to ragging by a group of 15 second-year students.
Consequently, the anti-ragging committee of the college passed an order on November 17, 2024 and suspended the 15 accused second-year MBBS students. The police also booked those 15 students and filed a chargesheet against them for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
More than seven months after their suspension, the suspended students filed petitions before the Gujarat HC praying to quash the order of suspension dated November 17, 2024 and seeking a direction to the medical college authorities to permit them to attend the classes and continue their academic activities and to allow them to take second-year exams.
However, the dean of the medical college opposed the students' demand to allow them to participate in the academic activities by ending their suspension.
After taking note of the preliminary arguments, the HC bench comprising Justice Nikhil Kariel asked the state govt to inform the court during the next hearing on what decision the anti-ragging committee intended to take regarding the punishment.
Following the court’s direction, the anti-ragging committee passed an official order, suspending all 15 students for two years and imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh each as per the TOI news report.
During the hearing, the students' lawyers informed the High Court that since the suspension orders had now been formally passed, the students would withdraw their petitions and appeal before the university’s vice chancellor instead. Single Bench Justice Nirzar Desai accepted their request and disposed of the cases.
Also read- Forced to stand, dance for 3 hours! GMERS MBBS student dies after ragging, 15 seniors booked
