STUDENT SUICIDE: COURT REFUSES PRE-ARREST BAIL PLEA OF SCHOOL CHAIRMAN

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) recently refused anticipatory bail to a school chairman, also a member of the school’s disciplinary committee, whose tirade resulted in a student’s suicide.

The chairman was booked after the student took the drastic step, as he was allegedly berated and abused by the applicant in front of a teacher. HC rejected his pre-arrest bail plea, observing that his custodial interrogation was necessary. The single-judge bench of justice Vinay Joshi was informed by the counsel of the accused, advocate Hrishikesh Mundargi, that though the student died by suicide after being reprimanded earlier in the day, the act of reprimanding the student by the applicant could not be construed as sufficient instigation to commit suicide.

As per the complaint lodged by the grandfather of the class X student on April 1 2022, he had received a call from the school asking him to take his grandson home. The grandfather was told by the applicant that his grandson had caused injury to a girl and that the youngster was uncultured and there were no chances of reformation as he was from the slums.

The grandfather was also told that the Principal had informed him (chairman) that in the past as well, he had misbehaved and should be rusticated. He also rebuked the student in presence of a school teacher. Thereafter, the informant took his grandson home. Within hours, the student died by suicide.

The grandfather on April 2 lodged a complaint with the police against the chairman. He was booked under sections 305, 504, 506 r/w 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections 75 and 87 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.