The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Punjab Police and BCM School principal DP Guleria over the bail granted to the later in a case pertaining to the death of a six-year-old student on campus, people aware of the matter said.
In a notice issued on February 28, a top court bench directed Punjab Police (through division number 7 station-house officer (SHO) and principal DP Guleria to respond within six weeks. The notice seeks a review of the bail granted to Guleria.
Amayra Sood, a student of Class 1, was crushed to death on campus by a school van on December 16 last year.
The apex court’s intervention comes in a petition by the victim’s father, Anurag Sood, who raised concerns over ‘lapses’ in the police investigation and ‘witness tampering’.
After the minor’s death, a first-information report (FIR) was registered at the division number 7 police station under sections 281 (rash driving or riding on a public way) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against bus driver Simranjit Singh, Guleria and the school management.
The victim’s family accused the police of ‘deliberately applying weaker sections’ of the law to classify the incident as an accident rather than a case of criminal negligence. Under scrutiny, the police later revised the charges, adding sections 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
{{/usCountry}}The victim’s family accused the police of ‘deliberately applying weaker sections’ of the law to classify the incident as an accident rather than a case of criminal negligence. Under scrutiny, the police later revised the charges, adding sections 238 (causing disappearance of evidence), 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 61 (criminal conspiracy) of the BNS and section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
{{/usCountry}}Bus driver Simranjit was arrested soon after the incident and Guleria was nabbed on December 21 last year. However, the Punjab and Haryana high court granted bail to Guleria on January 31 this year, a decision that led to controversy.
Anurag Sood then moved the Supreme Court and filed a special leave petition (criminal). In his petition, he argued that the accused tampered with evidence, police investigation was incomplete with several key witness statements missing and Guleria’s release on bail could allow him to influence witnesses and obstruct the legal proceedings.
Amayra’s father said he vowed to continue his legal fight until all those responsible were held accountable.