Gurugram school murder: Accused’s home lights up for Diwali; bail a ‘shock’ for victim family

The accused had applied for bail at least 21 times since 2017 but the various courts denied him each time until now. The father and the counsel of the accused expressed happiness on Thursday but refused further comment

Five years after he was apprehended on charges of murdering his seven-year-old schoolmate in Gurugram in 2017, the juvenile accused, who turned 21 this year, was granted bail on Thursday by the Supreme Court, triggering mixed reactions from the affected parties and people known to them.

The accused’s bail was denied by the JJB for at least four times and another seven times by the sessions court in Gurugram, besides the Punjab and Haryana high court and the Supreme Court. (Representative image)

The accused had applied for bail at least 21 times since 2017 but the various courts denied him each time until now. The father and the counsel of the accused expressed happiness on Thursday but refused further comment. People known to the family of the accused said this would be the first Diwali since his detention when their house would be all lit up.

The victim’s family, on the other hand, said they were concerned for their safety and worried that the bail may affect the trial. Earlier this week, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) had ruled that the accused would be tried as an adult. The case was accordingly transferred to the sessions court and the accused will be produced before it on October 31, the JJB ordered.

The accused’s bail was denied by the JJB for at least four times and another seven times by the sessions court in Gurugram, besides the Punjab and Haryana high court and the Supreme Court.

To recap the case, the seven-year-old boy, a Class 2 student of a prominent school in Gurugram’s Bhondsi, was found with his throat slit in the school washroom on September 8, 2017. Haryana police, which initially investigated the murder, arrested the conductor of a school bus and said he had confessed to the crime. He was later let go, after a probe revealed that he was innocent.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which took over the case on November 6, apprehended the juvenile accused, who was studying in Class 11 of the same school, on November 7.

In December 2017, the JJB decided to treat the accused as an adult but the Punjab and Haryana high court, in October 2018, directed the board to make a fresh assessment. Both, the victim’s father and the CBI, moved the Supreme Court against the high court order.

Dismissing the petitions on July 13 this year, the Supreme Court said while considering a person an adult, one should look at their physical maturity, cognitive abilities, and social and emotional competencies and asked the JJB to assess the accused afresh.

The father of the deceased boy said his daughter was a key witness in the case and they needed police protection now. “The suspect has a tendency to seek revenge and as his behaviour was not reported to be good at the observation home, where he was presently lodged,” he said.

“What if he fled the country now that he got bail?” the victim’s mother said.

The victim’s counsel, Sushil Tekriwal, they will try to get the trial expedited. “We will file for police protection if required,” he said.

The neighbours of the accused said the family has not celebrated any occasion since their son got apprehended and their house is lit up for the first time in five years. “The parents have been troubled for a long time now. They have hardly been interacting with anyone and always appeared sad and withdrawn. This news would have brought them peace,” said a neighbour, asking not to be named.