RYAN CASE: SC ASKS HC TO DECIDE PINTOS’ PLEA IN 10 DAYS

NEWDELHI:THE Supreme Court on Monday asked the Punjab and Haryana High Court to decide in ten days the

anticipatory bail pleas of three Ryan International Group trustees in a case in which a sevenyear-old boy was found dead in the group’s Gurgaon-based school.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra passed the directions on a plea moved by the boy’s father challenging the extension of the interim protection from arrest granted to the three trustees. “We request the high court to decide the plea within ten days from hence,” the bench, which also comprised Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, said. Advocate Sushil Tekriwal, appearing for Barun Chandra. Thakur, the father of victim Pradhuman Thakur, submitted that the high court had kept the matter pending for long.

Thakur had assailed the high court’s order granting interim protection to Ryan group CEO Ryan Pinto and his parents, Augustine Pinto and Grace Pinto, in the case. He had alleged that grant of interim protection against their possible arrest was “illegal and unconstitutional”.

It had sought setting aside of the September 28 order of high court granting them interim protection and the October 7 order, which had extended the relief.

Ryan Pinto and his parents had approached the HC, seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the killing of a Class-2 student who was found with his throat slit in the school run by their group on September 8.