Ryan school murder case: Bail plea hearing of conductor Ashok Kumar adjourned till November 20

Ryan International School murder case: Ashok Kumar in police custody (Express Photo/Manoj Kumar/File)

The bail plea hearing of bus conductor Ashok Kumar in a Gurugram court on Thursday was adjourned to November 20. The CBI is unlikely to object to Kumar’s bail application who was arrested by the Gurugram police for the murder of Ryan International School student Pradyuman Thakur.

CBI in court said, “So far no incriminating details have been found in our investigation in connection with involvement of Ashok. In case any evidence comes forth during ongoing investigation by the agency, action will be taken.”

Ashok Kumar was arrested on September 8, the same day Pradyuman, a 7-year-old Class II student, was found with his throat slit inside the school’s bathroom.  However, on November 8,  in a shocking development, the CBI arrested a Class XI student in connection with the case and claimed the juvenile to be the accused.

“The CBI will give reply at 2 pm and then arguments will take place again. CBI is not objecting to the bail,” Mohit Verma, the counsel for Kumar, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

On arresting Kumar, the state police had accused him of trying to sodomise the victim, and killing him when he tried to raise an alarm. “The conductor has confessed to his involvement in the crime,” Birem Singh, ACP, Sohna Road had said.

Also read | Treat juvenile as adult in Pradyuman murder case: Father’s petition in JJB

Meanwhile, Varun Thakur, the father of the victim, moved the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) on Wednesday requesting the 16-year-old accused be treated as an adult during trial. His plea will be heard by the board on November 22. According to the CBI’s investigation, the juvenile committed the murder in a bid to postpone the school’s scheduled examinations and parent-teacher meetings.

In his application, Thakur said the crime was “heinous, barbarous, diabolical, cold blooded and rarest in nature”, adding that “the present crime is chilling, horrific, monstrous and serious in nature”.

(With inputs from ANI)