Ryan School murder case: Ryan group CEO and family members move Mumbai High Court for pre-arrest bail

Chief executive officer of Ryan International Group Ryan Pinto and his parents —  who are its founders — have approached the Bombay High Court on Monday seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the murder of a seven-year-old boy in the school campus in Gurgaon.

Ryan International Group's founding chairman, Augustine Pinto (73), and his wife Grace Pinto (62) — managing director of the institution — and Ryan sought anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court, said their counsel Niteen Pradhan.

The bail petition by Pinto and his family members were filed following the arrest of two top officials of the Ryan International School in Gurgaon.

Pradhan added that the application was filed before Justice Ajey Gadkari and have been posted for hearing on Tuesday.

In the plea, the Pintos have said that the death of the boy was unfortunate and the management cannot be held culpable.

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They also mentioned in the plea that they themselves as victims of the unfortunate circumstances.

The application filed by Pinto family said, “The death has caused deep pain and grief not only to

the parents and family of the child but also to the trustees, management, staff and students of the school."

The application added, “"This is not only the darkest hour for the family but also for the institution. Such an incident has taken place for the first time in the past four decades since the institution was set up."

Their application further said, “Despite taking all necessary steps for security and well being of the students as required by law and prudence, if such an unfortunate incident occurs, the institution cannot be held culpable as it is itself a victim of unfortunate circumstance.”

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Their pleas further said that they are residents of Mumbai and the overall management of the institution is being carried out from the Mumbai office.

The pleas further add that the day-to-day management of each school is taken care by the local staff appointed by the management.

The applications filed by the Pinto also mentioned that the trustees of Ryan International Group and the management were cooperating with the police to the best of their ability.

Pradhuman Thakur, a class 2 student, was found dead in a school washroom on Friday. Police have arrested a bus conductor in connection to the incident. 

(With PTI inputs)