Ryan school case: Accused in Pradhyumn murder sent to custody for 14 days

Gurgaon’s Juvenile Justice Board (JJB), headed by principal magistrate Davender Singh, will convene at the Vikas Sadan in Gurgaon at 10.30 am where he is expected to review updates about the investigation and assessments of the teenage suspect.

The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) in Gurgaon on Wednesday sent 16-year-old student of Ryan International school, Bhondsi to juvenile home again for 14 days. He was produced before the board after his earlier custody ended on Wednesday.

Pradhyumn Thakur, a second grader, was found outside a school toilet with his throat slit on September 8. His death triggered widespread outrage and brought into focus the safety of children in schools across the country. (HT File Photo)

The juvenile accused’s father appealed in the board that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) sleuths interrogated his son beyond prescribed time. The board had fixed time of 10 am to 6 am for his interrogation during a three-day remand that the agency got on November 8.

Hearing on his plea is scheduled on December 29, said a lawyer who attended the proceedings.

The agency also sought permission to get fingerprints of the accused but the matter has been posted for a later hearing.

There has been no decision during Wednesday’s proceedings whether the juvenile should be put on trial as an adult, said Sushil Tekriwal, counsel of Barun Chandra Thakur, victim’s father.

Pradhyumn Thakur, a second grader, was found outside a school toilet with his throat slit on September 8. His death triggered widespread outrage and brought into focus the safety of children in schools across the country.

Gurgaon police arrested a bus conductor Ashok Kumar for the crime the same day, while later CBI apprehended a Class 11 student of same school on November 7 and produced him before the board on the next day.

The accused boy initially confessed to the crime but later retracted saying a purported confession that investigators claimed to have was coerced.

On November 14, Barun Chandra Thakur filed a petition before the juvenile justice board seeking the 16-year-old be tried as an adult, saying the crime he committed was “chilling, horrific, monstrous and serious in nature”.

“The juvenile should be treated as an adult as he knew what he was doing, his intentions were to kill. He bought a knife a day before and also researched for kinds of poison on the internet. The statements recorded by the CBI officials indicate that he had planned this murder to delay the exams and the parent teachers meeting. The murder was with a motive”, said Tekriwal.

A social background report prepared by Nisha Saini, legal-cum-probation officer from the district child protection unit was also submitted on Wednesday. Based on the report, a preliminary assessment will play a factor in the decision on whether the boy should be treated as an adult.

Another factor will be the psychiatric assessment of the accused which has been carried out.

The juvenile was last produced before the board on November 11, and remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. He has since been put up at an observational home in Faridabad.