Three rounds into the admissions season at Delhi University, most students and even some colleges remain unaware of the requirement of anti-ragging affidavits from applicants.

University Grants Commission (UGC) and supreme court had passed a circular against ragging in 2009. As per the anti-ragging measures, one affidavit each by the students and their parents/guardians were expected to be submitted to the colleges along with the applications.

Nita Kwatra, an aspirant at Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), is one such student who found out this requirement much later. “Here we are expected to make two separate affidavits against ragging, one by me and one by my parents, which means additional money. I did not even know of any such affidavit; it should just be attached to our admission forms or mentioned in the list of certificates and mark-sheets required prior to admissions,” she says.

Jyoti Nagpal, who has taken admission in Daulat Ram, says she did know about the requirement either, but adds, “I did not know that they also need an anti-ragging affidavit for hostels. I will not get my accommodation until I have submitted a separate affidavit to the hostel warden.”

Sonia Singh, who applied to Ramjas College, thought the undertaking would be just part of the main form. "I was not aware of the stamp paper as I thought that the undertaking would be a part of the admission form itself," she says, "We were about to pay the fee when we were told that the affidavit is missing. Just when the admission process has come to an end we are asked to go all the way to Tis Hazari court and get an affidavit." 

Curiously, some principals did not know about this requirement either. Rakesh, principal, Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College (ARSD) said, “We are not aware of any such affidavit required to be filled by students during admissions. We might ask something from the second or third year students to avoid any kind of ragging on the campus. But apart from that nothing from the newcomers.”

Hemlata Reddy, principal of Sri Venkateswara too pleaded ignorance. “This year we haven’t taken any undertaking or any affidavit from the students. I am not very sure if it is made mandatory by the UGC. If it is, we might just ask something from the students after they are admitted,” she said.

Promodini Varma, principal, Bharati College said, “Nothing of this sort is mandatory, so we haven’t taken anything from the students. I don’t know of any such rule.”

Some colleges are therefore not demanding affidavits, they are only taking an undertaking.

At Hindu College, the media coordinator, Anju Srivastava said, “There is an undertaking against ragging attached to the admission on which the students and their parents have to simply sign. There is also an undertaking for attendance that again needs to be signed. We are not demanding any affidavits.”

V K Kwatra, principal, Hansraj said pretty much the same thing. “We are taking an undertaking from students and making them sign it in front of their parents. The idea is to for them to pledge and the parents to be aware of such an undertaking,” Kwatra said.

Kasturi Kanthan, media coordinator at Lady Sri Ram College (LSR), however said, "For the convenience of students, we are making them and their parents or guardians sign an undertaking against anti-ragging, which is attached to the admission forms. We don't want the students and their parents running around to courts for the affidavit."