A special Mumbai court recently granted bail to IIT-Bombay student Arman Khatri, arrested for abetting the suicide of a fellow student, Darshan Solanki.
Arman Khatri was arrested in April for abetting the suicide of Darshan Solanki, who died on February 12, 2023, after jumping from the seventh floor of the IIT-B hostel building, a day after the semester exam ended.
The Mumbai police Special Investigation Team (SIT) discovered an alleged suicide note pointing to Arman Khatri, after which he was arrested and charged with abetment to suicide and criminal intimidation under the Indian Penal Code, as well as relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The prosecution had objected to Khatri’s bail request, but after hearing from his lawyer, the special judge decided to impose conditions and grant him bail.
Appearing for Khatri, Advocate Gupta, argued that there was no evidence that Khatri had directly aided Solanki’s suicide. He also stated that in their police complaint, Solanki’s parents made no allegations against Khatri.
According to the plea, Khatri is a young student with no criminal history, and incarceration would jeopardize his future.
The court then granted bail and ordered Khatri to appear every Monday and Tuesday at the Powai police station until the chargesheet was filed. He was also asked to provide a list of at least three blood relatives, including their detailed residential addresses and work addresses, if any, as well as documentary proof proving the accuracy of the information they provided.
Furthermore, Khatri was ordered not to leave Mumbai without first obtaining permission from the court, and he was not to make any inducement or threat to anyone familiar with the facts of the case in order to discourage them from disclosing such facts to the court or police officers, or tamper with the evidence.
According to investigators, Solanki made a communal remark in a conversation with Khatri two days before his death, after which the latter threatened Solanki with a paper cutter. Solanki was visibly shaken by the incident and had a fever that night. He also apologized to Khatri via WhatsApp and stated that he was going back home and leaving Mumbai.
