The Thalassery District Sessions Court has granted bail to Dr. M.K. Ram, the first accused in the case related to the death of Kannur dental college student Nithin Raj.
Judge M. Manoj granted bail to Dr. Ram on strict conditions, including a ban on entering the college and restrictions on contacting or influencing students.
The prosecution had strongly opposed the bail plea. However, defence counsel M. Kishore Kumar argued that Dr. Ram was not responsible for the student’s death and sought his release on bail.
The bail order comes against the backdrop of strong criticism by the Kerala High Court over the investigation into the case and Dr. Ram’s arrest. The High Court had sharply criticised the investigating officer and at one stage had sought his removal from service.
The court observed that an investigating officer would be aware that an arrest could be illegal if the reasons for it were not communicated to the accused.
The High Court had also raised serious concerns over the alleged involvement of senior police officers in the case, observing that there were indications that high-ranking officers had intervened to protect the accused.
Published – September 09, 2026 07:57 pm IST
