Faculty accused in Kannur dental student's death case moves Kerala High Court for bail
Dr MK Ram, accused in the death of BDS student Nithin Raj, has sought anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court after his previous plea was rejected.
Dr MK Ram, accused in the death of BDS student Nithin Raj, has sought anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court after his previous plea was rejected.
Dr MK Ram, accused in the death of BDS student Nithin Raj, has sought anticipatory bail from the Kerala High Court after his previous plea was rejected.
Dr M K Ram, accused in the case registered in connection with the death of first-year BDS student Nithin Raj at Kannur Dental College, Anjarakandy, has moved the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail after a sessions court in Thalassery rejected his bail plea.
The Thalassery Additional Sessions Court-IV, presided over by Judge J Vimal, had on Saturday denied him anticipatory bail. The court, however, granted bail to K T Sangeetha Nambiar, another faculty member arraigned as accused in the case.
The sessions court cited flaws in the investigation and in the framing of charges. It also flagged 'excessive media trial' in the case and said there was no evidence to charge Dr Ram under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The court further questioned the circumstances under which Dr Sangeetha Nambiar was made an accused.
Additional Sessions Judge Vimal J, after examining the case diary and statements of three student witnesses, observed that the materials pointed to harsh, insulting and improper conduct by Dr Ram, but not caste-targeted humiliation.
The court also opined that caste discrimination was not the cause of Nithin’s suicide. Case records showed that the student had taken a loan of ₹15,000. On April 10, college faculty members Dr Latha and Dr Bhagyasree informed the principal about threat calls, following which Nithin admitted to taking the loan. When the principal contacted his father, he said the loan had been taken without the family’s knowledge.
The court noted that Nithin was in deep distress after being called to the principal’s room and questioned by teachers, and due to the possibility of a cyber police complaint being registered against him. “He was in deep distress on account of this interrogation and the fact that the cyber police were going to register a complaint against him,” the court said.
The court also observed that custodial interrogation of Dr Ram is essential for the smooth progress of the investigation.