Nithin Raj death: Kerala HC seeks govt’s views on teacher’s pre-arrest bail plea

Kochi: High court has issued notice to the state govt on a pre-arrest bail petition filed by M Kodanda Ram, head of department of dental anatomy at Ancharakandy Dental College in Kannur, in connection with a case relating to the alleged abetment of the suicide of first-year BDS student Nithin Raj.A bench of Justice P V Balakrishnan adjourned the plea for consideration on May 15. Nithin Raj had died after falling from a college building on April 10. Police registered a case based on a complaint filed by Raj's family, alleging that Ram, along with other faculty members and hostel warden, had subjected him to caste-based discrimination and harassment, which led him to die by suicide.Ram, however, contended that Raj had availed a loan through a mobile application and had provided the contact number of a teacher to the lenders. Following a default in repayment, the lenders allegedly contacted the teacher repeatedly, compelling her to lodge a complaint before the principal and also file a police complaint against those who had sanctioned the loan.Based on the teacher's complaint, Raj was summoned to the principal's room, questioned, and it was decided to file a complaint. According to Ram, Raj left the principal's room and is presumed to have died by suicide shortly thereafter. He further submitted that there was no allegation at that time of any harassment or torture. Earlier, the Thalassery sessions court had dismissed Ram's pre-arrest bail plea on April 24, prompting him to move HC.