Court upholds trial for La Marts principal, teachers

KOLKATA - A city court Monday turned down the appeal of the principal and three other teachers of La Martiniere for Boys School for quashing an earlier order for their trial for allegedly abetting the suicide of class VII student Rouvanjit Rawla.

Kolkata Sessions Court Chief Judge Dipak Saha Roy rejected the appeal filed by principal Sunirmal Chakravarti and the other teachers for setting aside the order of the 12th metropolitan judge of Bankshall Court Apurva Kumar Ghosh that the four be tried under more serious charges like abetment of suicide Of 13-year-old boy.

Rouvanjit hanged himself days after he was allegedly caned by the principal and said to have been mentally harassed by the three teachers - Garnian, Partho Dutta and David Raun.

Lawyers of the four accused had claimed that the metropolitan judge did not have the locus standi to reframe the charges that had been filed by the police earlier.

They also argued that the judge had not given them any hearing before ordering reframing of the charges.

Earlier, the police had slapped milder charges against the four accused.

Ghosh in his Nov 19 order had said that they be tried under section 305 (abetment to suicide), section 324 (voluntarily causing hurt) and section 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

Chakravarti and the three other teachers had been arrested Oct 4 in connection with Rowlas suicide Feb 12, 2010. All the four accused were bailed out the same day.

The 175-year-old school landed itself into a controversy and focus of nationwide debate when Rouvanjit hanged himself.

Rouvanjit’s father Ajay Rowla later filed a police complaint against the principal and other teachers involved in his son’s caning and mental harassment.

The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) had recommended the dismissal of the principal and vice-principal and that the increment of three teachers be stopped following Rouvanjit’s suicide.