Dalit student suicide: Kerala High Court seeks State's response on professor Dr. M Kodanda Ram's anticipatory bail plea

The Kerala High Court Tuesday asked the State government to respond to an anticipatory bail plea moved by Dr. M Kodanda Ram, a dental college professor, who is accused in a case related to the suicide of a Dalit student Nithin Raj [Dr M Kodanda Ram v State of Kerala & ors].

Justice PV Balakrishnan also issued notice to the victim's mother Latha and posted the matter for further consideration on May 15.

Raj, who belonged to Dalit community, died on April 10 after he jumped from a building near the college. He had allegedly faced caste-based harassment from the faculty at Kannur Dental College.

Dr. Ram, the head of department at the Kannur Dental College, is the prime accused in the case.

Following a complaint by the student's father, the police booked Dr. Ram and two other staff members for abetment of suicide and for offences under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 (SC/ST Act).

Dr. Ram and another faculty member Dr. Sangeetha Nambiar, had earlier approached a sessions court seeking anticipatory bail. While the sessions court granted relief to Dr. Nambiar on April 25, it denied anticipatory bail to Dr Ram.

This prompted him to approach the High Court under Section 14A of the SC/ST Act, which provides for an appeal against orders of the special court, including denial of anticipatory bail.

In his plea, Dr. Ram has denied allegations of caste-based harassment or abetment of suicide, stating that the student was under distress due to financial issues linked to a loan taken by him through a mobile application.

He further said that recovery agents were harassing Raj and had even contacted a faculty member, listed as a reference contact.

The college authorities had questioned the student over that, Dr. Ram's plea said. It was shortly after this interaction that student allegedly committed suicide, he added.

The plea was filed through advocates S Rajeev, V Vinay, MS Aneer, Anilkumar CR, Sarath KP, Dipa V, KS Kiran Krishnan, Akash Cherian Thomas, Azad Sunil, TP Aravind, Maheswar Padickal, Akshara S and Nivedita Rajeev.

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