Ryan school murder: Accused bus conductor’s judicial custody extended by 14 days

Kumar was produced in the court through video conferencing due to sensitivity of the matter and threat to him. He is accused of murdering the victim after a failed sexual assault on him.

The first accused in Ryan school murder case, 42-year-old bus conductor Ashok Kumar was produced before a Gurgaon special court on Friday through video conferencing, after his judicial custody ended. He was produced through video conferencing from Bhondsi jail. He was further remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Ashok Kumar, a bus conductor who has been accused for the murder of Ryan International School student Pradhyumn Thakur, being produced before a special court in Gurgaon, on September 12, 2017. (Sanjeev Verma/HT File Photo)

On Thursday, the hearing into bail plea of Kumar was adjourned till November 20. Kumar was produced in the court through video conferencing due to sensitivity of the matter and threat to him. He is accused of murdering the victim after a failed sexual assault on him.

Kumar was arrested by the Gurgaon police for murder of Class 2 student Pradhyumn Thakur at Ryan international school, Bhondsi. The CBI, which took over investigations in the case, had on November 7 apprehended a Class 11 student of the school and said that the murder was carried out by him while ruling out the sexual assault angle.

“The argument of the case is pending for November 20, my client is innocent and he is framed by the Gurgaon police. The CCTV footage shown in the courtroom does not prove his role in the murder. He was seen entering the corridor after the victim but before the juvenile”, said advocate Mohit Verma, Kumar’s lawyer.

The entire proceeding on Thursday was in-camera and the CBI team had shown two CCTV footages which had captured the movement of the victim, Kumar, and the juvenile accused. All three were seen entering, but the exit was not clear.

“In the footage, Pradhyumn is seen going towards the toilet but turns back and then again goes to the toilet. Kumar is seen following him towards the toilet. After Kumar enters, gardener Harpal is also seen going towards the toilet and is followed by the juvenile accused,” said Verma.

The DNA report of the victim is still pending and the CBI is expected to submit it to the court on the next hearing.

Additional district and sessions judge Rajni Yadav during the hearing had asked CBI officials to do their homework and to collect the DNA report which should have been in their records by now.

Yadav asked them to get more material and evidence.