Veterinary Student Suicide: Kerala High Court grants bail to students accused of ragging

The Kerala High Court on Friday granted bail to persons accused of severely ragging and abetting the suicide of veterinary student Sidharthan. [Akash S D v State of Kerala & Connected Cases].20-year-old Sidharthan, a second-year undergraduate student, was found dead in the hostel of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Wayanad. Brutal ragging by fellow students is alleged to have led to the death of the student who was found hanging on February 18 this year.Justice CS Dias today granted bail to all the accused persons who approached the Court seeking bail. .Initially, when Sidharthan's body was discovered, a case of unnatural death was registered. However, several individuals were booked later under Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 342 (wrongful confinement), and 306 (Abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code of 1860 (IPC), as well as Section 3 and 4 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act. The investigation into the case was handled by the State Police but it was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) after Sidharthan's parents approached the Chief Minister with a representation seeking the same. Several of the accused persons then moved the present bail applications before the High Court. .The counsel for the petitioner submitted trial court had rejected their bail pleas without understanding that the accused are college-going students whose future was at stake due to such accusations.The counsel also submitted that having spent over 60 days in jail, they have the right to approach the Court for bail..However, the prosecution opposed the grant of bail, arguing that the students had severely ragged and assaulted Sidharthan which is what ultimately led to his suicide..Senior Advocates K Ramkumar, S Sreekumar and S Deepak, and advocates S Rajeev, John S Ralph V, Varghese, Santharam, T Shajith, V Shyam and A Anand, appeared for the petitioner.Senior advocate KP Satheesan appeared for the CBI.Advocate Sajith Kumar V appeared for the de-facto complainant (Sidharthan's mother) ..[Read Order]