The Kerala High Court on Monday suggested the formation of a committee to examine and recommend measures to tackle the alleged harassment of students by faculty in medical colleges [Dr M Kodanda Ram v State of Kerala & ors].

Justice A Badharudeen observed that such a measure may be necessary to erace the menace of student harassment at medical colleges.

"In Kerala, medical colleges are ruining students. No doubt about it. They are very cruelly treating students, even PG students. Many complaints. (It is a) very, very serious matter," Justice Badharudeen remarked.

The Court made the observation while considering an anticipatory bail plea moved by Dr. M Kodanda Ram. Dr. Ram is a professor of Kannur Dental College who stands accused of verbally harassing a Dalit student who eventually died by suicide.

Justice Badharudeen today expressed concerns that many students may be reluctant to raise complaints against professors or college authorities about such harassment.

He said that the issue requires a deeper examination and suggested that the State should form a commission to study and address such concerns.

"No student is ready to quarrel with the teachers and the college authorities. They are suffering. I think a committee is to be constituted, a secret report to be obtained on what is happening and what are the remedial measures," the judge said.

He also noted that such harassment could arise out of a recurring, vicious cycle.

"What is happening in medical colleges, according to me, it is ‘Ammaayiamma syndrome’ (Mother-in-law syndrome). 'When I was daughter-in-law, my mother-in-law harassed me, so I will harass when I became mother-in-law.' Similarly. in medical colleges, (the attitude is) 'since my senior professors harassed me, when I become professor, I will also harass.' This is a very, very dangerous and pitiful situation as far as a State like Kerala is considered," Justice Badharudeen said.

Nithin Raj, a dental college student in Kerala, died by suicide on April 10 after he jumped from a building near the college. Before his demise, Raj is alleged to have faced caste-based harassment from the faculty at the dental college.

Dr. Ram, the head of the department at the Kannur Dental College, is the prime accused in the case. The police booked Dr. Ram and two other staff members for abetment of suicide and for offences under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (SC/ST Act), based on a complaint by the student's father.

Dr. Ram and another faculty member Dr. Sangeetha Nambiar, had earlier approached a sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. While the sessions court granted such relief to Dr. Nambiar on April 25, it denied anticipatory bail to Dr Ram.

This prompted him to approach the High Court for anticipatory bail.

The State's Public Prosecutor today told the Court that the statements of two students indicated that Dr Ram's conduct with students was improper. He is also alleged to have instigated other teachers to harass the deceased student.

Dr Ram's counsel, meanwhile, maintained that the student's death had no connection with any alleged harassment by the medical college faculty. In this regard, he referred to CCTV footage showing the student in the college principal's room and documents indicating loan recovery harassment faced by the student before his death.

The Court will hear the case futher on June 8, Monday.

Dr. Ram's plea was filed through advocates S Rajeev, V Vinay, MS Aneer, Anilkumar CR, Sarath KP, Dipa V, KS Kiran Krishnan, Akash Cherian Thomas, Azad Sunil, TP Aravind, Maheswar Padickal, Akshara S and Nivedita Rajeev.

[Live Coverage]