Ryan murder: SC rejects plea for cancelling bail to Pintos

New Delhi, Dec 11 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea for cancelling the interim bail granted by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Pinto family in the Pradhuman Thakur murder case.

A bench of Justice R.K. Agrawal and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre dismissed the plea by Barun Thakur, the father of seven-year-old Pradhuman who was murdered on September 8 inside the Ryan International School in Gurugram district of Haryana.

Ryan group of schools' Founder-Chairman Augustine Francis Pinto, his wife and Managing Director Grace Pinto and their son and CEO Ryan Pinto were granted anticipatory bail by the High Court on November 21.

Noting that the Central Bureau of Investigation was still investigating the case and was yet to come to a conclusion about the Pintos' involvement in the crime, the apex court said the High Court order to grant them interim bail can't be faulted.

"As on date, the CBI is yet to examine and analyse the role of the private respondents (Pintos) in this case. There is no evidence of their complicity in the crime and there is not even a pointer of involvement of... (Pintos) in the alleged crime. Their involvement cannot be established until and unless there is some substantial evidence against them," the apex court said.

Since there is nothing, as of now, in the CBI probe to point fingers at the Pintos, they have "made out a case for the grant of protection by way of interim bail till the presentation of challan by the CBI, as has been passed by the learned single Judge," the apex court added.

"We, therefore, do not find any good ground to interfere with the November 11 order to grant interim bail to Augustine Francis Pinto, Grace Pinto, and Ryan Pinto."

Pradhuman Thakur, a Class 2 student, was found dead with his throat slit in the school washroom, minutes after his father had dropped him in the morning.

The High Court, while granting anticipatory bail, had asked the Pintos to join case investigation. The court had also barred them from leaving the country without its permission.

Initially, the Haryana Police investigated the case and arrested bus conductor Ashok Kumar. Later, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the case and arrested a Class 11 student of the same school for the crime.