HC reserves order on petition seeking probe into girl’s suicide

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court on Friday reserved its order on a case filed by the father of a 17-year-old student who died by suicide seeking a CB-CID investigation (now CBI) into the incident, after hearing the girl’s family, the prosecution, and the school where she studied for five years.

Justice G R Swaminathan reserved the orders at the end of an hour-long hearing during which the three sides presented their arguments. The Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, where the student studied and stayed in a hostel run by it, impleaded itself in the case on Friday.

The petitioner (the girl’s father) demanded a CBI probe into his daughter’s suicide after expressing that he has “no faith” in the investigation being conducted by the Thanjavur district police. “The case has to be transferred to the CBI for a fair investigation,” the petitioner’s counsel said.

Also Read | TN girl suicide: BJP demands transfer of case to CBI as another video emerges

He also suggested that the police and the Tamil Nadu government were trying to give a clean chit to the school even before the investigation comes to a close. The counsel pointed to a statement by Thanjavur district SP that “forced conversion” was not the reason for the girl’s suicide while the School Education Minister (Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi) went on record to say recording a video with the girl was “improper.”

The government counsel said that the initial complaint filed by the father did not mention the “religious conversion” angle and alleged that Muthuvel, who recorded four videos of the girl before her death, was not cooperating with the police in investigations.

Also Read | Forced conversion angle not figured in suicide probe, says Tamil Nadu minister

The counsel appearing for the school argued that “step-motherly” treatment at the girl’s home had forced the student to stay at the hostel even during holidays and alleged that the issue was being politicised.

The girl, who consumed pesticides on January 9, died 10 days later on January 19 at the Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.

While the police and education department officials say the girl died due to ‘torture” at the hands of the warden, the BJP has been alleging forced conversion for the student’s death. The suicide has made national headlines with the BJP demanding a CBI probe and planning to send a four-member team to visit the village for a spot inquiry.

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