Student gets interim bail in ‘assault’ case

GREATER NOIDA: A Class XII Nigerian student of a private school has been granted interim bail by a juvenile court in Surajpur on Saturday after he was booked for allegedly inappropriately touching a student of another school.

The student was booked under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of IPC and sections 7 and 8 of POCSO Act.

According to Shrey Yadav, advocate for the student, an additional chief judicial magistrate, who also hears juvenile cases, said that prima facie, no case had been made out and it requires further investigation. “Till that time, the boy has been granted interim bail and the matter will be heard on January 21,” he told TOI.

Earlier, the family of the accused Nigerian student had moved an application before the Allahabad high court for a stay on the juvenile’s arrest. The high court said that more time needs to be given for investigation.

Nearly 15 persons of African origin had protested outside the school on Thursday against the police case lodged against two Class XII students who had allegedly misbehaved with a Class VIII student of another school during an inter-school event on October 31.

According to police, the complainant student, in his statement before a judicial magistrate under Section164 of CrPC, has stood firm on his complaint of ‘bad touch’.