The Kerala High Court has come down heavily on the police after they arrested P Krishnadas, Chairman of the Nehru Group of Institutions, based on a harassment complaint filed by a student of the institution.
Krishnadas had moved the HC on Monday seeking anticipatory bail. The HC lashed out at police after it came to know that police had added non-bailable charges in the charge sheet, which were not there earlier.
The HC said that police cannot add charges under public pressure and added that police officers who did this, cannot be let off.
The counsel for Krishnadas argued that the non-bailable charges were not added by police in the initial stage, but police added them later after anticipatory bail was granted to Krishnadas in the Jishnu Pranoy suicide case.
Krishnadas’s arrest was based on a complaint filed by Shaheer Shoukathali, a 2nd year LLB student from the Lakkidi campus, on January 2 this year.
The incident, Shaheer said, took place some days before January 6, the day when Jishnu Pranoy, a student from the Pambady campus, killed himself over alleged torture by college authorities. Krishnadas is the first accused in Jishnu Pranoy case, where he had received anticipatory bail.
But Jishnu’s family has been protesting seeking the arrest of Krishnadas.
Krishnadas’s counsel argued in court that police have not asked Krishnadas to appear before the investigation officer before the arrest.
The counsel also alleged that the police action amounted to a sabotage of the HC order, which granted anticipatory bail to his client.
Krishnadas was arrested by Erumapetty police in Thrissur on Monday.