Pon Navarasu, a student of

Rajah Muthiah Medical College Government Cuddalore Medical College Formerly (Rajah Muthiah Medical College and Hospital) is a government medical college and hospital located in Chidambaram, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, India. It operates as Government Cuddalore Medical Co ...

Annamalai University , logo = CampusmapofAU.jpg , image = Annamalai University logo.png , image_size = 225px , motto = "With Courage and Faith" , established = , type ...

Chidambaram Chidambaram is a town and municipality in Cuddalore district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, on the banks of the Vellar River where it meets the Bay of Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Chidambaram taluk. The town is believed to be of si ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

was murdered on 6 November 1996. This murder, which occurred during a

ragging Ragging is the term used for the so-called "initiation ritual" practiced in higher education institutions in the Indian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The practise is similar to hazing in North America, in Fra ...

incident, led to the passing of the first anti-ragging legislation in India.

Details

Pon Navarasu was a first year student at the

, Annamalai University. He was murdered on 6 November 1996. His body was dismembered and the body parts were scattered in different parts of Tamil Nadu. They were recovered over the next few days. His father Professor P. K. Ponnusamy, former vice-chancellor of the

Madras University The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

, filed a police complaint on 10 November. The next day John David, a senior student in the same college surrendered to judicial custody and confessed to the murder after a week-long interrogation. According to his confession, the murder took place while he was

Navarasu. The police said that David had assaulted Navarasu during a ragging session in his hostel room as the latter refused to strip and lick footwear. David's college mates testified that he had a reputation for being a bully and humiliating freshers. Delivering the much-awaited judgement in a packed court hall, a Cuddalore judge S.R. Singaravelu said the motive of the murder was probably, 'that while other juniors had obliged the accused, the disinclination of Navarasu, who happened to be the son of a vice-chancellor, might have irritated the accused and made him desperate and led to an ego clash.' The gruesome nature of the murder caused a public outcry and the

Tamil Nadu government Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, like ...

passed an anti-ragging ordinance criminalising ragging. Later this ordinance was formalised as the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Ragging Act, 1997. Thus Tamil Nadu became the first state in India to ban ragging in educational institutions and criminalise the act. John David was convicted of Navarasu's murder and was given a double life sentence (to be served consecutively) by the

Cuddalore district Cuddalore District is one of the 38 districts in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. History Since ancient times, the old town has been a seaport. Through the centuries, Cuddalore has been subject to a number of foreign powers including the Net ...

sessions court on 11 March 1998. The

Madras High Court The Madras High Court is a High Court in India. It has appellate jurisdiction over the state of Tamil Nadu and the union territory of Puducherry. It is located in Chennai, and is the third oldest high court of India after the Calcutta High C ...

overturned the verdict on 5 October 2001 and acquitted him. The state of Tamil Nadu appealed to the Indian

Supreme court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. On 20 April 2011, the supreme court overturned the high court acquittal and confirmed the lower court's conviction. It also ordered the double life sentences to be served concurrently. John David, who had been released in 2001, turned himself in again a few days later and is currently serving his sentence. Navarasu's parents have established a non-profit anti-ragging organisation in his memory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Navarasu, Pon Education in Tamil Nadu Crime in Tamil Nadu Murdered students Students in India Ragging Murder in India 1996 murders in India