Patna: A court in Patna has reserved its order on the bail application of Manish Ranjan, the owner of Shambhu Girls Hostel and an accused in the case related to the death of a NEET aspirant earlier this year.
The hearing was conducted on Thursday in the court of special judge Rajiv Ranjan Raman under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court reserved its decision on the bail plea.
The proceedings initially began in open court before continuing in the judge’s chamber following a request from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Officials said the chamber hearing lasted for more than three hours and was attended by the CBI counsel, the investigating officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), lawyers representing the victim’s family, the defence counsel and the prosecution.
After the chamber proceedings concluded, the court briefly reconvened in the courtroom and heard further submissions from the victim’s counsel before reserving its order.
The victim’s lawyer strongly opposed the bail application, arguing that granting bail to the accused would be unjust to the victim and could send a negative message to society.
Manish Ranjan, who is currently in judicial custody, was brought from jail to the court for the hearing.
The case relates to the death of a student preparing for the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) who had been staying at the Shambhu Girls Hostel in the Chitragupta Nagar area of Patna.
According to police records, the student was found unconscious in her hostel room on January 6. Based on a complaint filed by her father, the Chitragupta Nagar police station registered a case on January 9.
The student died on January 11 while undergoing treatment at a hospital. Her family alleged that she had been raped and murdered.
During the course of the investigation, provisions of the POCSO Act were added to the case. Following public outrage over the incident, the Bihar government recommended a probe by the CBI.
The federal agency subsequently registered a case and took over the investigation.
The student’s father has alleged that injury marks were found on his daughter’s body and suspected that an attempt had been made to sexually assault her.
Investigators arrested the hostel owner during the probe, and his bail application is currently under consideration by the court as the investigation continues.
