'You Can't Insult Students & Get Away' : Supreme Court Denies Pre-Arrest Bail To Professor In Kerala Student Suicide Case

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of a Kerala college Head of Department accused in the suicide of a dental student from Kerala, Nithin Raj, observing that a strong message must go that teachers cannot behave with students in a manner that humiliates them.

A Bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta refused to interfere with the Kerala High Court's order denying pre-arrest bail to Dr. Kondanda Ram, Head of the Department at a dental college, who is facing allegations of abetment of suicide and uttering casteist slurs.

The offences alleged against him are those under Section 108 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(2)(v) of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

During the hearing, Senior Advocate D.S. Naidu, appearing for the petitioner, argued that while the professor may have been a "harsh teacher", that by itself could not justify denial of anticipatory bail. He submitted that the alleged humiliation of the student had taken place about a month before the suicide, whereas immediately before the student's death there had been a separate incident involving harassment by loan recovery agents over a ₹15,000 loan carrying high interest.

Naidu told the Court that another professor had complained to the principal about the student's loan shortly before the suicide, as she was allegedly made the guarantor by the victim for the loan taken, as loan app recovery agents had allegedly harassed both the professor shown as guarantor and the student. He further submitted that those loan app operators had already been arrested and remanded, contending that the immediate trigger for the suicide was the loan-related harassment rather than the earlier conduct of the HOD.

The senior counsel also argued that denying anticipatory bail in such circumstances would have a "chilling effect" on professors seeking to maintain discipline in educational institutions, even if they occasionally crossed the line.

Justice Mehta, however, observed that the cumulative effect of the alleged conduct could not be ignored.

"As they say, 'ghada bhar jata hai'. He has to realise the consequences of his actions for the students. A student is insulted in the classroom in the presence of co-students. What would be the ultimate impact on such students?" Justice Mehta remarked.

When the petitioner's counsel argued that the alleged humiliation had occurred a month earlier and therefore lacked proximity to the suicide, the Bench responded:

"Ultimately it was a tipping point."

Rejecting the argument that arrest would discourage teachers from enforcing discipline, the Bench underscored the need for accountability in educational institutions.

"It will have a wonderful effect for the students that a teacher can't walk away with this kind of behaviour. The message has to go that you cannot behave in this way with the students," the Bench observed.

The special leave petition was accordingly dismissed, leaving intact the Kerala High Court's order refusing anticipatory bail to the accused HOD.

The prosecution allegation is that the deceased student committed suicide due to the constant mental harassment of Dr. Ram. It is further alleged that Dr. Ram humiliated the deceased in front of his classmates, knowing fully well that he was a member of the Scheduled Caste community.

The High Court had opined that there was prima facie commission of offence under Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the statutory bar against grant of anticipatory bail would apply. The Court found that there was nothing to rebut the statutory presumption under the SC/ST Act that the accused Dr. Ram had knowledge that the deceased belonged to the SC/ST community. It was also noted that the accused used to single out the deceased and made derogatory remarks to humiliate him in the presence of his classmates.

Case : M.KONDANDA RAM Vs STATE OF KERALA | SLP(Crl) No. 11871/2026 Diary No. 38315 / 2026