Ex-minister, son denied pre-arrest bail in snakebite deaths case

Marotrao Kowase serves as the president of Kuparlingo Educational and Cultural Development Research Institution, which runs the school, while his son Vishwajit Kowase is the general secretary

NAGPUR: The Gadchiroli sessions court on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail applications of former Lok Sabha member and ex-minister Marotrao Kowase and his son, Vishwajit Kowase in connection with the death of three female students due to snakebite at their government-aided tribal residential school (ashram school) in Gadchiroli.

Ex-minister, son denied pre-arrest bail in snakebite deaths case

The incident occurred on August 10, when a venomous snake bit six students sleeping on the hostel floor. Three of the students – Deepika Lakda, 12, Sushmita Mandal, 14, and Anu Koreti, 8 – died subsequently while three others – Deepika Madavi, 11, Kavita Kirange, 12, and Samrudhi Naitam, 14 – were shifted to Nagpur for treatment. Naitam remains on life support at the Government Medical College and Hospital in Nagpur.

Marotrao Kowase serves as the president of Kuparlingo Educational and Cultural Development Research Institution, which runs the school, while his son Vishwajit Kowase is the general secretary.

Following the incident, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis ordered the immediate cancellation of the school’s license and directed authorities to relocate the remaining students. Co-guardian minister Ashish Jaiswal and tribal development minister Dr Ashok Uike visited the premises to inspect conditions, while the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the state government, calling the incident a “serious violation of human rights” and demanding a detailed report within two weeks.

Kowase and his son, named as co-accused, have been absconding since the incident.

In his order, additional sessions judge Vishwas S Khot noted that an inquiry committee report revealed unsanitary conditions, a lack of beds, and severe negligence by the management. An investigation is actively underway into allegations of financial misappropriation and forged records, the court said.

The court observed that the accused hold significant influence over the institution and their physical custody is necessary for a fair probe. It agreed with the prosecution that granting pre-arrest bail to them could jeopardise the on-going investigation and refused them bail.