Ragging is a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment and/or fine according to Section 116 of the Karnataka Education Act, 1983, and under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Students involved in ragging will be liable, in addition to criminal prosecution, to rustication, dismissal and expulsion from the College. “Ragging means causing, inducing, compelling or forcing a student, whether by way of practical joke or otherwise, to do any act which detracts from human dignity or violates his person or exposes him to ridicule or to forbear from doing any lawful act, by intimidating wrongfully restraining, wrongfully confining, or injuring him or by using criminal force to him or by holding out to him any threat of such intimidation, wrongful restraint, wrongful confinement, injury or the use of criminal force”. (Karnataka Education Act, 1983, Section 2 (29).