Kerala Budget announces anti-ragging law, student distress app in memory of J.S. Sidharthan

The revised Budget presented by Kerala Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan on Friday proposed a legislation to check ragging on campuses as well as a new digital reporting system for the purpose in memory of J.S. Sidharthan, a 20-year-old veterinary student, whose death in a college hostel in Wayanad, had triggered a political controversy and widespread protests in Kerala two years ago.

While making the announcements at the Kerala Legislative Assembly, Mr. Satheesan said ragging and campus violence continue to be major issues in colleges across the State. Such tendencies also act as barriers to student admissions, he lamented.

In a bid to prevent such occurrences, the government will enact the Sidharthan Anti-Ragging and Student Welfare Act to prevent ragging and ensure student welfare. A Sidharthan Student Distress App would also be launched.

Both proposals figured among the action points from the professional conclave, Hi.Ed.Con 2025, organised by the United Democratic Front (UDF) “to redeem and reboot” higher education in Kerala a year ago.

Sidharthan, a second-year student of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Pookode, was found dead on the campus on February 18, 2024. It later emerged that he had been a victim of brutal and prolonged ragging. Subsequently, as many as 33 students were suspended by the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Several students, mostly members of the Students Federation of India (SFI) had also been booked by the police in connection with the death.

Faced with mounting pressure, the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had handed over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, which arraigned 19 students. The agency also found that Sidharthan had been subjected to constant humiliation, assault and harassment and senior students of the college.

Former Governor Arif Mohammed Khan had also instituted a Commission of Inquiry, led by former Kerala High Court judge A. Hariprasad to examine the circumstances of the death and broader issues related to campus safety, hostel supervision and institutional accountability.

A year ago, the Kerala High Court called for amendments to the existing Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1998, while stressing on the state government’s responsibility in ensuring that a robust prevention mechanism is in place in campuses.