'Medical College teachers' cruelty towards students shocking': Kerala HC seeks redressal forum

The Kerala High Court has observed that some teachers in medical colleges are in the habit of torturing, insulting and pressuring students by threatening to withhold marks in internal and practical examinations. The court made this observation while rejecting the anticipatory bail plea of Dr M Kodanda Ram on Friday, the prime accused in the abetment of suicide case of dental student Nithin Raj. This creates a fear of academic failure, the court added.

Justice A Badharudeen pronounced the order on Friday after hearing arguments from the counsel representing Dr Ram as well as the deceased student’s parents.

The court noted that while there are many hard working and quality oriented teachers in medical colleges who treat patients and train students with the aim of building a future generation of doctors, it is 'shocking' that some teachers are allegedly cruel towards students. They continuously engage in torturing, insulting, and destroying the student's morale, the court said. The court added that such behaviour is a threat even to good teachers.

It further noted that students, fearing for their future and the possibility of failing examinations that could 'destroy their life itself,' often suffer such torture silently without any opportunity to respond or complain. The court also observed that, due to such pressure, some students are forced to leave institutions after completing their studies. Suicides by students unable to withstand such pressure are not uncommon, it added.

In this context, the court said there must be an independent forum for students to raise grievances and seek redressal. It also stated that it was reliably learnt that house surgeons and postgraduate students are posted in hospitals for day and night duties, sometimes being denied reasonable sleep and proper meal times, which it described as a dangerous situation.

The court observed that the National Medical Commission, the Health Departments of the Central and State Governments, the Education and Higher Education Departments of both Central and State Governments, and the universities concerned should take appropriate measures to address this issue and prevent such a situation in the future. It said authorities must consider finding a solution or appointing a commission to ensure an unbiased grievance redressal forum where colleges have no control over student complaints.

Dr Ram, Head of the Department of Dental Anatomy at Kannur Dental College, had approached the High Court after the Sessions Court in Thalassery rejected his plea for pre-arrest bail. In the same case, the Sessions Court granted anticipatory bail to the second accused, Dr Sangeetha Nambiar, a professor at the same college.

Nithin, a first-year BDS student from Uzhamalackal in Thiruvananthapuram, was found critically injured on a stone-paved area between the administrative block and hospital building of Kannur Dental College on April 10 around 1.30 pm. He was rushed to the hospital but later died.

According to the prosecution, Nithin Raj ended his life following sustained mental harassment allegedly inflicted by Dr Ram. The prosecution further alleged that the accused publicly humiliated the student in front of classmates despite being aware that he belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.