Workplace bullying in medical institutions: Response to Karpagam

In India, workplace bullying is generally actionable under the law only if bullying behavior is directed against sections acknowledged as being vulnerable (also known as harassment) or if it amounts to criminal wrong such as assault or battery (or sometimes "ragging"). This is bizarre considering the fact that workplace bullying is unconstitutional in the context of Articles 21, 42, 43 of the Constitution of India. We therefore assume that bullying, irrespective of the caste factor, is a serious problem. In cases of suicide, it is tricky to label bullying as abetment, even for the courts, because the perceptions of the victim are also important. The latter, unfortunately, are inaccessible hence one has to work it out retrospectively, using circumstantial evidence.