Kochi: The Kerala High Court has directed the state government to submit a draft composition of the proposed working group, tasked with formulating comprehensive rules to curb ragging, within one week.

The directive was issued on Wednesday by a special bench comprising Chief Justice Nitin Jamdar and Justice C Jayachandran. The court had earlier noted the need for a stronger statutory framework to address the growing menace of ragging in the state.

The state was initially expected to submit the draft on March 19, but following a request from the government pleader, the court granted additional time. "We had already given two weeks for this purpose. Considering the urgency of the matter, we are granting one more week to the state to submit the draft composition of the working group," the court stated.

The bench directed that once the working group is constituted, suggestions from the petitioner and other respondents, as well as those seeking to be impleaded, should be placed before the group for consideration.

The directive came in response to a petition filed by the Kerala Legal Services Authority (KeLSA) highlighting the increasing incidents of ragging in the state. The petition was filed following the death of JS Sidharthan, a second-year undergraduate student at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Sidharthan was found dead in the men's hostel washroom at Pookode village, Wayanad.

His mother, Sheeba MR, has also sought to be impleaded as a party to the public interest litigation (PIL). She alleged that the university authorities ignored ragging activities on campus, which ultimately led to her son's preventable death. She argued that the state must introduce stricter laws to prevent such incidents.

MLA Ramesh Chennithala has also sought to join the case. He argued that drug abuse in educational institutions and political patronage given to students are major factors contributing to ragging. He called for greater authority for the police and excise departments to tackle the issue effectively. The case has been posted for the next hearing on March 26.