Standard Operating Procedure

PESIAMS College has constituted an Anti-Ragging Committee whose main objective is to ensure a ragging-free environment for all students and to address any ragging complaints received.

The Anti-Ragging Committee constitutes a significant part of the Educational Institution's mechanism. As per the guidelines of UGC under the Act of 1956, which is modified as UGC regulations on curbing the menace of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutions, the 2009 establishment of an Anti-Ragging Committee is compulsory in all educational institutions.

The anti-ragging Committee is the supervisory and advisory committee for preserving a culture of a ragging-free environment on the college campus. The main objectives of this Committee are as follows:

• To make students aware of the dehumanizing effect of ragging inherent in its perversity.
• To maintain continuous vigilance to prevent both the occurrence and recurrence of ragging.
• To address incidents of ragging reported to the committee promptly and effectively.
• To generate an atmosphere of discipline by sending a clear message that no act of ragging shall be tolerated and any act of ragging shall not go unnoticed and unpunished.

• Abetment to ragging.
• Criminal conspiracy to ragging.
• Unlawful assembly and rioting while ragging.
• Public nuisance created during ragging.
• Violation of decency and morals through ragging.
• Body injury, causing hurt or grievous hurt.
• Wrongful restraint.
• Wrongful confinement.
• Use of criminal force.
• Assault as well as sexual offences or unnatural offences.
• Assault as well as sexual offences or unnatural offences.
• Criminal trespass.
• Offences against property.
• Criminal intimidation.
• Any attempts to commit any of the offenses mentioned above against the victim(s).
• Physical or psychological humiliation.
• All other offenses that arise from the definition of "ragging."

• Punishment for ragging: The Committee shall convene whenever it receives a complaint. Any member of the committee may receive complaints.
• The Committee shall direct the employee(s)/student to prepare and submit a written response to the complaint/allegations within four (4) days from such direction or such other period as the Committee may decide.
• The Committee shall conduct the proceedings according to natural justice principles, ensuring both parties have a fair opportunity to present their cases.
• The Committee shall allow both parties to produce relevant documents and witnesses to support their case. Documents produced by either party shall be affixed with that party's signature to certify the document as an original/true copy.
• The party against whom the document/witness is produced shall be entitled to challenge/cross-examine the same.
• The Committee will convene daily to review the evidence provided by both parties.
• As far as practicable, all proceedings of the Committee shall take place in the presence of both parties.
• Minutes of all proceedings of the Committee shall be prepared and duly signed by the members of the Committee.

If, in the course of the proceedings before it, the Committee is satisfied that a prima facie case of ragging is made out against the accused and that there is any chance of the recurrence of any such action, or that it is required to do so in the interests of justice, it may, on the request of the complainant or otherwise, disciplinary action can be initiated in the form of any one of the following depending on the seriousness of the issue.

• Written apology.
• Suspension from attending classes and academic privileges.
• Debarring from appearing in any test/examination or other evaluation process.
• Debarring from representing the institution in any regional, National or International meet, tournament, Youth festival, etc.
• Suspension/Expulsion from the hostel.
• Cancellation of Admission.
• Expulsion from the Institution and consequent debarring from admission to any other institution for a specified period.
• Collective punishment: when the persons committing or abetting the crime of ragging are not identified, the institution shall resort to collective punishment.

If, in the course of the proceedings before it, the Committee is satisfied that any person has retaliated against/victimized the complainant or any person assisting the complainant as a result of the complaint having been made or such assistance having been offered, the Committee shall report the same in writing, to the Principal/Management, with reasons and with recommendations of the action to be taken against such person.

If, at the culmination of the proceedings before it, the Committee is satisfied that the complainant has knowingly brought false charges of ragging against any person, it shall report the same in writing to the Principal/Management, with reasons and with recommendations of the action to be taken against such person.

Responsibilities of the Committee :

• To uphold and comply with the directions of the Honorable Supreme Court and be vigilant on any acts amounting to ragging.
• To publicize to all students prevalent directives and the actions that can be taken against those indulging in ragging.
• To consider the complaint received from the students, an inquiry is conducted and a report submitted to the Anti-Ragging Committee along with punishment recommended for the offenders.● To consider the complaint received from the students, an inquiry is conducted and a report submitted to the Anti-Ragging Committee along with punishment recommended for the offenders.
• Conduct workshops against ragging menace and orient the students.
• To offer services of counseling and create awareness among the students;
• To implement all necessary measures to prevent ragging within the campus and hostels.

Introduction :

In pursuance of UGC (Prevention, prohibition and redressal of sexual harassment of Women Employees and Students in higher educational Institutions) Regulations 2015, the existing Sexual Harassment Redressal Committee (SHRC) is re-named as the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) as under to deal with the complaints relating to sexual harassment at workplace. The Institution has had this committee since its inception with different nomenclatures. Recently this committee has been reconstituted during 2020-21 and renamed as MYTHRI (Internal Complaints Committee).

• To provide a secure and harassment-free environment in the Institution premises to female students and women employees.
• To develop guidelines and norms for a policy against sexual harassment and to work out details for implementation of the policy.
• To develop principles and procedures for combating sexual harassment after the complaint.
• To conduct various awareness programs, exclusively for girl students and women employees.
• To introduce various self employed and skill based training programmes.

• Promote measures aimed at achieving gender equality, removal of gender bias or discrimination, sexual harassment and other acts of gender-based violence.
• Organise awareness programs and campaigns for the benefit of girl students of the Institution on sexual harassment and gender based discrimination.
• Fulfill the directives of and guidelines issued by the Supreme Court to create an academic and work environment that is free of sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination.
• Receive and redress complaints received from any member of the Institution (including students and staff on Institution premises) alleging sexual harassment by another member(s) of the Institution.
• Conduct formal inquiry and investigate to take decisions upon each complaint and recommend appropriate punishment or action to be taken.
• Ensure that all information pertaining either to complaints registered and the proceedings and findings of any inquiries and/or investigations are kept strictly confidential.
• Maintaining all documents/records of the committee.

• The Committee shall meet as and when any complaint is received by it.The complaint may be received by any member of the committee.
• The Committee shall direct the employee(s)/student to prepare and submit a written response to the complaint allegations within a period of four (4) days from such direction or such other time as the Committee may decide.
• Each party shall be provided with a copy of the written statement(s) submitted by the other.
• The Committee shall conduct the proceedings by principles of natural justice. It shall allow both parties a reasonable opportunity to present their case. However, should the accused choose not to participate in the proceedings, the Committee shall continue ex-parte.
• The Committee shall allow both parties to produce relevant documents and witnesses to support their case. Documents produced by either party shall be affixed with that party’s signature to certify the document as original and true copy.
• The party against whom the document / witness is produced shall be entitled to challenge / cross-examine the same.
• The Committee shall sit on a day-to-day basis to record and consider the evidence produced by both parties.
• As far as practicable, all proceedings of the Committee shall take place in the presence of both parties.
• Minutes of all proceedings of the Committee shall be prepared and duly signed by the members of the Committee.
• If, in the course of the proceedings before it, the Committee is satisfied that a prima facie case of sexual harassment is made out against the accused employee(s)/student and that there is any chance of the recurrence of any such action, or that it is required to do so in the interests of justice, it may, on the request of the complainant or otherwise,any disciplinary action could be initiated in the form of:-
• If, in the course of the proceedings before it, the Committee is satisfied that any person has retaliated against / victimized the complainant or any person assisting the complainant as a result of the complaint having been made or such assistance having been offered, the Committee shall report the same in writing, to the Principal/Management, with reasons and with recommendations of the action to be taken against such person.

• Warning
• Written apology
• Bond of good behavior
• Adverse remarks in the confidential report
• Debarring from supervisory duties
• Denial of membership in statutory bodies
• Denial of re-employment/re - admission
• Stopping of increments / promotion/denying admission ticket
• Reverting and demotion
• Suspending temporarily or permanently from the Institution(if the accused is a student).
• Dismissal
• Any other relevant mechanism

If, at the culmination of the proceedings before it, the Committee is satisfied that the complainant has knowingly brought false charges of sexual harassment against any person, it shall report the same in writing to the Principal/Management, with reasons and with recommendations of the action to be taken against such person.

• All decisions shall be taken by the majority..

Record keeping :

The coordinator of the committee shall maintain all the relevant documents related to the functioning of the committee and shall make these available to any authorized officer/authority for inspection.

Introduction :

The Institution has reconstituted Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee on 9th July 2018 and on 25th July 2019 to follow the directives of the Supreme Court, the UGC and the Kuvempu University implementing a policy against sexual harassment in the Institution. The Institution has had this committee since its inception with different nomenclatures. On 5th May 2020, it was been renamed MYTHRI (Women Empowerment and Harassment Prevention cell).

Introduction :

Every institution has its own purpose and objectives. The minimum requirement to achieve or sustain those would be to have its members to fall in line with the same. Hence, it becomes imperative make individuals value their institutional life over their ones, and act according to a set of agreements with the institution, rather than their instincts and whims.

One word that would sum up the above would be ‘discipline’.Good discipline is key to success in the achievement of goals. Absence of discipline leads to many uncertainties, unrest and may result in chaos and confusion. Alternatively, a disciplined environment has a good impact on the development of minds and gives a better grooming field for a novice. We, being an academic institute, have to work with adolescents and young adults who will be in a biological condition, where hormones overlap rational thought and yet to be mature minds. This makes it necessary for us to have a separate unit to address and regulate their nature of activities which is the‘Disciplinary Committee’. After all, the ultimate achievement of education is a disciplined mind which works within the constraints and challenges of life and follows an act of rules without impinging upon the rights of others.

The SOP is designed to achieve the following :-

• Project, portray and present a true reflection of an academic institution wherein academic activities are conducted in keeping with scientific, social and constitutional values.
• Provide conducive and congenial teaching and learning environments free of all disturbances and distractions.
• Inculcate, refine and reform the character/personality traits of the students to meet the future challenges in a disciplined, organized and civilized manner.

• Informing and creating awareness about the institutional expectations to all concerned and convincing them through rationale and sound reasoning.
• Patience and tolerance in execution of policies by grooming and counseling the defaulters progressively and gradually.
• Encouragement and reward for the good ones.
• Collaboration, cooperation and coordination between the faculty, students, management and parents.
• Effective communication with the students especially through the mentor mentee arrangement which already exists.

Note : A complaint or grievance comes to this committee only when all other concerned subsidiary subject-specific committees are not able to solve the issue. In such a case, the committee, based on the genuineness of the involved parties, has all the power to take serious action against the accused, which may even include suspending the person from the institution.