Kerala BDS student death: HC slams police for failing to follow protocol in arrest of professor M.K. Ram
The Kerala High Court has found that the grounds of arrest were not furnished to the accused, Dr. M.K. Ram, in the Kannur dental student
The Kerala High Court has found that the grounds of arrest were not furnished to the accused, Dr. M.K. Ram, in the Kannur dental student death case when he was produced before the Special Judge the other day. Ram, a former HoD, is the prime accused in the death of Nithin Raj, a first-year student of Kannur Dental College, Anjarakandy. Dr. Ram was charged with abetment to suicide and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. He was denied bail at all levels, from the Special Court, Thalassery, to the Supreme Court. The Single Bench of Justice A. Badharudeen, who called for the arrest details, observed that the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court requiring to provide written grounds of arrest was not given to Dr. Ram, which led to his release by the Special Court.
This was affirmed by a report from the Additional Director General of Police, filed before the court on Friday (July 24, 2026). The Crime Branch Deputy Superintendent of Police and the Superintendent of Police have appeared in person before the court to explain the sequence of events leading up to the arrest. The court orally asked the DySP to explain why he had failed to comply with the requirements relating to the grounds of arrest, despite having made numerous arrests during his 22-year career as a police officer. The court also expressed its indignation to the SP for his lapse in ensuring that all arrest procedures were strictly followed in the arrest of Dr. Ram, as it was “an important matter concerning the State.” The court orally remarked that as the Superintendent of Police, he must ensure that such errors shall not recur in such cases.
The court made the observations while considering a petition filed by the deceased student's father, alleging that he was not granted a chance to be heard when Mr. Ram had sought anticipatory bail before the Supreme Court. Instead of submitting to the process of law, Mr. Ram had deliberately absconded and evaded arrest, despite the knowledge of the criminal proceedings initiated against him. Ram surrendered before the Crime Branch on Wednesday after the Special Court in Thalassery permitted his re-arrest. The Home Department had reconstituted the investigation team that probed the case after the High Court had observed that serious allegations were raised against the earlier investigating officer.
The investigation was handed over to Malappuram Crime Branch SP M.P. Mohanachandran, with DySP Jeevan George appointed as the new investigating officer.
The BriefWire