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Dharamshala student death case: Court grants anticipatory bail to teacher, students
After the victim’s death on December 27, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, three students of the government college in Dharamshala were booked on charges of ragging while the teacher was booked for sexual harassment on January 1
The district and sessions court, while granting anticipatory bail to teacher and two students accused in case related to death of 19-year-old student, said “The medical board had finally opined that the deceased had longstanding behavioural symptoms most likely a primary psychotic illness of ‘Schizophrenia Spectrum and Related Disorders’, later on superimposed with features of Encephalitis like illness.”
However, the court directed that the teacher shall continue joining the investigation as and when directed. “In case anything new comes up during the course of investigation, more particularly while investigating the matter viz-a-viz the video clippings, the prosecution will be at liberty to take steps to incorporate the severer offences, If any, is made out made out and take steps as per law,” the court said.
After the victim’s death on December 27, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s father, three students of the government college in Dharamshala were booked on charges of ragging while the teacher was booked for sexual harassment on January 1.
In his statement, the father has alleged that September 18, 2025, his daughter had telephonically informed him that three girls had beaten her. “The complainant had further got recorded in his statement that while undergoing treatment at Mahajan Medicity Hospital at Pathankot, his daughter had disclosed to the nurse, which was also recorded by one of the attendants, wherein his daughter had named the accused teacher. She had disclosed in the video that the teacher used to touch her inappropriately,” the order reads.
“The status report dated February 13, submitted by the prosecution clearly suggests that there is no convincing and credible proof, as of now against any of the accused,” reads the order of the sessions Judge, Chirag Bhanu Singh.
“At the outset it will be worthwhile to point out that the investigating agency has submitted that having considered the investigatory material, including the phone data of the deceased and the accused’s-students, the perusal of the CDRs of the accused’s and the deceased, the attendance record of the accused, the opinion of the medical board, the report of the directorate of higher education constituted in respect of sexual harassment and ragging, the polygraph test, layered voice analysis and brain electrical oscillation signature test (BEOS), no convincing and reliable material has been collected by the prosecution till date,” the order reads.
Deceased was in no position to give legally competent statement: Status report
According to the status report submitted by the police in the court on February 13, the medical board constituted at Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, to review the treatment and medical circumstances related to the death of the victim, has opined that the deceased was mentally unstable during her illness and was in no position to give a legally competent and reliable statement.
The report further states that it is unreasonable to consider the allegations made in the video recorded during the deceased’s illness credible, in the absence of any corroborative evidence other than the video. It says that the delay in diagnosis was due to gaps in treatment, discharge against medical advice (LAMA), and refusal to undergo necessary tests.
The report outlined that the possible reasons for the death of the victim included severe ARDS and CO2 retention aspiration pneumonia.
Authenticity of video needs deeper probe, says court
The court in its order also said, “Somehow the investigations have not centered around the video clippings allegedly made by the deceased, as it happens to be the genesis of the FIR, at least. There is nothing on record to remotely show who made the video clipping, when and where it was made and the authenticity and veracity of the same. It requires a deeper probe, to say the least. To this extent the investigation seems to be slipshod and perfunctory.”
“Our main argument was the authenticity of the video which was taken on record by the police. The status report submitted by the police in the court is silent on the authenticity of the video clip,” said advocate Narayan Thakur who appeared for the bail applicant.
Earlier, the state committee probing the death of the student and allegations raised by her family along with a video purportedly recorded by the girl before her death, has found no evidence of ragging, use of casteist words or making indecent remarks.
