The Kerala High Court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea filed by Dr M Kodanda Ram, the prime accused in the abetment of suicide case of 22-year-old dental student Nithin Raj.
Justice A Badharudeen pronounced the order after hearing arguments from counsel representing Dr Ram as well as the deceased student’s parents. The court had earlier reserved its verdict in the matter.
Dr Ram, Head of the Department of Dental Anatomy at Kannur Dental College, had approached the High Court after the Sessions Court in Thalassery rejected his plea for pre-arrest bail. In the same case, the Sessions Court had granted anticipatory bail to the second accused, Dr Sangeetha Nambiar, a professor at the college.
According to the prosecution, Nithin Raj ended his life following sustained mental harassment allegedly inflicted by Dr Ram. The prosecution further alleges that the accused publicly humiliated the student in front of his classmates despite being aware that he belonged to a Scheduled Caste community.
Dr Ram has been booked under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide, along with Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
During the hearing, Justice Badharudeen had orally observed that students in medical colleges were often subjected to cruel treatment. The court also suggested that a committee could be constituted to examine such allegations, formulate guidelines and recommend safeguards to prevent similar incidents.
Nithin, a first-year BDS student from Uzhamalackal in Thiruvananthapuram, was found critically injured on a stone-paved area between the administrative block and hospital building of Kannur Dental College on April 10 at around 1.30 pm. He was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his injuries.
The case gained prominence after Nithin’s family alleged that he had been subjected to prolonged harassment and caste-based abuse by faculty members, including Dr Ram and Dr Sangeetha Nambiar. Audio clips purportedly supporting the allegations later surfaced, intensifying public scrutiny of the incident.
