Press Trust Of India
Gurgaon, Nov 21: A Gurgaon civil court Tuesday granted bail to schoolbus conductor Ashok Kumar, an accused in the killing of seven-year-old Pradhuman Thakur, on a bond of Rs 50,000. At the same time the Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Ryan International Group’s three trustees as well.
The court had Monday reserved its order on bus conductor Ashok Kumar’s after Additional Sessions Judge Rajni Yadav heard Kumar’s counsel as well as the counsel for the CBI.
Lawyer Mohit Verma had filed the bail application for Kumar after the CBI arrested a 16-year-old school student of Ryan International on charges of killing his junior.
Pradhuman was found with his throat slit in the toilet of the school in Bhondsi, Gurgaon, September 8.
Kumar, who was arrested by Gurgaon SIT, has not got a clean chit from the CBI.
“We have brought to the notice of the Gurgaon court the fact that CBI has no proof against Kumar,” Verma said.
He said the CBI had claimed the juvenile had confessed to his crime and the motive had also been established by the agency.
Opposing the bail plea, the CBI counsel said the agency had not reached a stage in its probe where Kumar could be declared innocent.
“He is still one of suspects in the case,” he said.
Besides, the Punjab and Haryana High Court Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Ryan International Group’s three trustees.
The single bench of Justice Surinder Gupta also imposed various conditions while granting bail to the group CEO, Ryan Pinto, and his parents, founding chairman Augustine Pinto and managing director Grace Pinto.
“The High Court has granted anticipatory bail to them (Pintos),” Sushil Tekriwal, the lawyer representing the victim Pradhuman Thakur’s family, said, adding they will challenge it in the apex court.
The court said the Pintos will not try to influence the witnesses, tamper with any evidence or leave the country without permission of the court. They will present themselves before the CBI for interrogation whenever asked by the agency, according to Tekriwal.
The Pintos’ were represented by advocate Sandeep Kapur.
Tekriwal said, “We will file an appeal in the Supreme Court challenging order of granting anticipatory bail after studying the judgement.”
As the hearing resumed Tuesday, the CBI counsel submitted a status report in a sealed cover in connection with the case.
October 7, the High Court had granted interim bail to the three trustees.
Ryan Pinto, and his parents, Augustine Pinto and Grace Pinto, had approached the High Court September 16, seeking anticipatory bail in the case.
September 25, the High Court had impleaded the CBI as a respondent in the petition seeking bail filed by the three Ryan International Group trustees.
September 14, the Bombay High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of three trustees. The Pintos, who are based in Mumbai, had approached the Bombay High Court as they had apprehended arrest in the case after the school was accused of negligence in the death of seven-year-old Pradhuman.
