Ryan School Murder: Interim relief to Ryan Group trustees extended

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday extended till tomorrow the interim protection from arrest granted to the trustees of Ryan International Group, even as the father of the seven-year-old Pradyuman sought to oppose their anticipatory bail pleas.

The high court directed the boy’s father, Barun Thakur, to give the trustees a copy of his intervening application opposing their pre-arrest bail petitions.

Thakur on Wednesday filed an intervening application opposing the anticipatory bail pleas filed by the groups CEO, Ryan Pinto, and his parents Augustine Pinto, the founding chairman of the group, and Grace, its managing director.

The Pintos, who sought protection from arrest till they have approached the court concerned in Haryana, were on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest till today.

Thakur’s lawyer Sushil Tekriwal on Wednesday informed Justice Ajey Gadkari of his clients’ intervening application following which the court directed him to give a copy of it to Pinto’s counsel Niteen Pradhan.

"Until and unless you (Thakur) give a copy of the application to the applicants (Pintos), how do you expect them to respond? I will hear the pleas tomorrow. Interim relief to continue till then," Justice Gadkari said.

When Tekriwal started arguing the matter by mentioning the details of the killing, Justice Gadkari said he cannot hear the matter on merit as his court does not have the territorial jurisdiction.

This is only a plea for transit bail. I cannot hear the matter on merits," the judge said.

In the application, Thakur said he is the complainant in the case and the petition of the trustees is ‘opposed in strongest possible terms and words as the instant case being a rarest of the rare case where a brutal, diabolical, cold blooded, barbarous, demonic, unpardonable, unprovoked, hellish, cruel homicide has taken place on the campus of Ryan International School.’

Pradyuman was found with his throat slit on the morning of September 8 in the toilet of the school.