Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Friday strongly criticised the police over procedural lapses in the arrest of the prime accused in the Nithin Raj suicide case, and asked the supervising DySP whether the mistakes were deliberate.
Justice A. Badharudeen questioned DySP Sudheer Kallan over how such basic failures were allowed in a sensitive investigation. The court said there should be no loopholes in arrest procedures that could help an accused escape the law.
The bench was hearing a petition filed by Nithin Raj’s parents seeking clarity on Supreme Court directions that the grounds of arrest must be communicated to an accused at the time of arrest.
Dr M. Kodanda Ram, a professor at Kannur Dental College and the prime accused, was initially arrested in connection with the death of Nithin Raj, a Dalit dental student who allegedly died by suicide after caste-based harassment. A trial court later declared the arrest illegal after finding that the police had not furnished the grounds of arrest as required by law.
The professor was later rearrested after the defect was corrected. During Friday’s hearing, the High Court repeatedly questioned the investigating officer over the lapse and asked why such a basic requirement had been omitted.
The court said the officer’s duty was to conduct a fair and impartial investigation, not to protect either side. It also reminded the Public Prosecutor that disciplinary proceedings had already been called for against the officers responsible for the lapse.
The matter will be taken up again after two weeks, once the outcome of the disciplinary proceedings is known.
(Inputs from IANS)