ORDER
1. says the Great Saint Thiruvalluvar. The meaning is this : “What is the duty of the son to his father ? The son should act in such a way and to make the world ask, what Tapas (penance), his father has made to beget such a son ?”
2. Here is the son, viz., A Suresh Babu alias Suresh, aged about 21 years, a second year B.Com. student studying in A. M. Jain College, Meenambakkam, instead of making the world to ask what Tapas, his father has made to be blessed with a good son, exposed his father, who is a former M.L.A., to make the world ask what sin committed by the father to beget such a son ?
3. The above expression of mind is an immediate reaction over the perusal of the averments in the complaint made against the petitioner. If those averments which are under investigation are true, this Court could only say, the future of the younger generation would be bleak and gloomy.
4. The petitioner, apprehending arrest in respect of Crime No. 201/97 registered for the offences under Sections 448, 341, 323, 352 and 506(ii) IPC and Section 4 of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Ragging Act, 1997, has approached this Court seeking anticipatory bail.
5. This case relates to the sorry state of affairs, in which one Arivudai Nambi, a First year B.Sc. (Chemistry) student studying in A. M. Jain College Meenambakkam, is subjected to the suffering at the hands of two students studying in the same College on the pretext of ragging and one among those two is the petitioner.
6. The facts of the case are as follows :-
Some days prior to the date of occurrence, one Sriram, a third year student, who is a resident of Hostel, came to the room, in which the first informant Arivudai Nambi was staying, in a drunken mood and severely beat him. The first informant complained about this to the College Principal, who in turn, suspended the said Sriram from the College.
7. On 17-9-1997 at about 11.30 p.m. Arivudai Nambi was sleeping in his room in the Hostel. At that time, the petitioner Suresh, staying in room No. 121 of the same Hostel, entered into his room in a drunken mood carrying a liquor bottle in his hand. Arivudai Nambi woke up from his bed and went to room No. 85 and took rest there along with his friends.
8. Half-an-hour later, the petitioner came to that room and compelled Arivudai Nambi to come to his room. When he went to his room, the petitioner slapped on his cheek repeatedly. He also abused the first informant by stating and again beat and so saying he kicked on his stomach. He further exclaimed by saying and he pushed him on the ground. Another student by name Vinod Khanna joined him and he also repeatedly beat him. Then both of them removed the lungi and baniyan of the first informant and he was made to stand with only underwear on a chair. Then, they asked him whether he had got “sex feelings” ? He sobbed and said “No”. Thereafter, both of them slapped him and the petitioner asked him
After uttering these threatening words they again beat the first informant indiscriminately on the stomach and back. Then, they went to veranda, took some drinks and again came back to room and beat him. Before they left the place, they said
Then they went. After this horrible experience, the first informant immediately left the Hostel and reached his native place and informed this to his father.
9. Immediately, the father of the first informant sent a telegram to the Principal requesting action. The father of the first informant, Kuppusamy, who is the Vice President to Thamizhaga Aasiriyar Koottani sent letters to Chief Minister and higher authorities. Thereafter, this complaint was preferred by the first informant, which was registered against the petitioner and Vinod Khanna.
10. Though the case has been registered on 25-9-1997 under the above sections, both the accused in this case have been successfully absconding for the past one month.
11. The Government Advocate, while opposing the application, seriously would submit that despite the effective steps taken by the respondent to arrest the petitioner and another, still the where-abouts of the petitioner is not known.
12. The investigation discloses that the petitioner is the son of a former M.L.A. The perusal of the case diary would show that the averments in the complaint were enquired into by the investigating officer by examining the other students and the watchman in the Hostel and found them to be true.
13. It is quite shocking to see that this sort of inhuman incident is being taken place inside the Hostel by the students in which the comforts have been provided to them for the purpose of study. But the above incident would indicate that some of the students have used the Hostel facilities for committing various offences. If this sort of incident is taken place in the College Hostel, the parents would be very much reluctant to sent their children for study for the reason that some children may become criminals and others may become victims. If these things to be corrected, the introduction of the penal statutes alone is not sufficient. But, the younger generation must be made to feel that what they are doing is quite wrong. In order to creat these feelings, the Teachers, Hostel Wardens and parents have to play an important role and the students must be inculcated of the human values. If we do not take any effort in teaching human values for the students, then this Nation, which has got a spiritual tradition will have no future.
14. The present education develops the intellect and skill but does not little to develop good qualities. Of what avail is all the knowledge in the world, if one has not got good character ? It is like water going down the drain. Education should help to make the students the embodiments of human values such as Truth, Love, Right Conduct, Peace and Non-violence. Academic knowledge alone is of no value. There is no point in blaming the students alone. If parents and teachers set the right example, the students will automatically blossom into models of excellence. Mahatma Gandhi said : “Knowledge without character is a powerful evil”. Today’s education is knocking off the “s” from “skill”, with the result that the knowledge is “killed” with disastrous results for mankind. The students should be given the combination of knowledge, skill and character. So, the teachers and parents should take a pivotal role in the cultivation of human values in the mind of younger generation, which alone is education. If the education does not teach the students to love all and serve all, the education would become meaningless.
15. In view of the serious allegations made against the petitioner, especially when the petitioner is stated to be highly influential being a son of a former M.L.A., I am not inclined to grant anticipatory bail, which could be granted in deserving cases. In my opinion, the petitioner does not deserve this special privilege. Therefore, the petitioner could surrender before the Police and seek for regular bail after some progress is made in the investigation. The petition is dismissed.
16. Petition dismissed.