Bombay HC rejects bail pleas of Ryan bosses
MUMBAI/GURGAON The Bombay high court on Thursday rejected transit anticipatory bail pleas of Ryan Pinto, CEO of Ryan International Group, and his parents — Augustine, 73 and Grace, 62 — in connection with the brutal killing of an 8-year-old student on the campus of their school at Bhondsi in Gurgaon.
Justice Ajey Gadkari has, however, continued the interim protection from arrest granted to the trio till 5pm on Friday on the condition that they surrender their passports to the Mumbai police commissioner by 9pm Thursday. The judge has clarified that the protection will automatically end, if they fail to surrender passports.
The trio had approached the high court, following the arrest of two top officials of the Ryan International Group in Gurgaon. The Pintos, in their plea, said that while the death of the boy was unfortunate, the management cannot be held culpable and that they themselves were victims of the unfortunate circumstances.
OFFICIAL MISLEADING POLICE?
Francis Thomas, north India head of Ryan international schools group, who is being questioned by Gurgaon police in connection with lapses and negligence, changing his statements frequently, and has not been cooperating with the Special investigation team (SIT), which took him to the Delhi office for recovering documents and files related to functioning of school.
Thomas is also likely to be taken to headquarters of Ryan School foundation in Mumbai for corroborating his statement.
Francis Thomas has been booked under section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act along with another management official, Jayesh Thomas.
A Gurgaon police team which had gone to Mumbai to investigate the case has submitted a report. Sources said that the team also issued a notice on Thursday to Ryan School management under section 91 of the CRPC to share documents and records that are needed for investigation into the murder case. Although Gurgaon police have arrested the main suspect, Ashok Kumar, who has confessed to the crime, but the parents of the boy have demanded a CBI inquiry into the murder.
Gurgaon police commissioner Sandeep Khirwar on Thursday reiterated that the SIT had enough evidence to prove Kumar guilty. “The evidence we have against the accused is strong enough to prove his guilt and it will stand judicial scrutiny,” Khirwar said.
Khirwar said the police probe has reached a critical stage with the statements of the first respondents having been recorded along with witnesses such as the gardener, the teachers, and students.
GARDENER DETAINED The SIT, on Thursday, detained Harpal Singh, the gardener, who was the first to spot the body of 8-year old boy outside the school toilet, for questioning. The detention comes after Singh was interrogated by ADGP (law and order) Akil Mohammad.
Sources in the police department said that the top Haryana cop had instructed the SIT to keep a close watch on Harpal.
The SIT however was noncommittal on the arrest of the gardener.