KOCHI – The Kerala High Court on May 5, 2026, issued notices to the State government and other stakeholders regarding an appeal filed by Dr. M. Kodanda Ram, the former Head of the Department of Dental Anatomy at Kannur Dental College. The appeal challenges a lower court’s decision to deny him anticipatory bail in a case involving the tragic suicide of a first-year BDS student, Nithin Raj.
Case Background
Nithin Raj, a 22-year-old student belonging to the Scheduled Caste community, died on April 10, 2026, after falling from a building on the college campus in Anjarakandy. Following his death, his family and fellow students alleged that he had been subjected to persistent mental harassment and caste-based discrimination by certain faculty members.
The prosecution has alleged that Dr. Ram publicly humiliated the student in front of his classmates, which purportedly drove him to take his own life. Based on these allegations, a case was registered against Dr. Ram under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide, along with relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The HOD’s Defense
In his appeal before the High Court, Dr. Ram has vehemently denied all allegations of harassment. He contended that the student was under severe psychological pressure due to non-academic stressors. Specifically, Dr. Ram alleged that Nithin had defaulted on a loan taken through a mobile application and had shared a teacher’s contact information with the lenders. Consequently, the loan recovery agents began harassing the faculty member, leading to a formal complaint against the student within the college. Dr. Ram argued that these external circumstances, rather than any classroom discipline, were the primary drivers behind the student’s distress.
Court Proceedings
The appeal reached the High Court after the Sessions Court in Thalassery rejected Dr. Ram’s pre-arrest bail plea in late April. While the lower court had granted relief to a co-accused associate professor, it found the allegations against the HOD to be more serious.
During the hearing on Tuesday, a vacation bench led by Justice P.V. Balakrishnan admitted the criminal appeal. The Court has directed the State government to file its response and has also issued a notice to the de facto complainant—the student’s mother, Latha. The matter has been posted for further consideration on May 15, 2026.
Broader Impact
The incident has sparked widespread protests and a dawn-to-dusk hartal by various Dalit organizations demanding a high-level probe into institutional caste bias. The Kerala High Court has also separately initiated a suo motu case to address instances of violence reported during these protests. As the legal battle continues, the case has become a focal point for discussions regarding student mental health and faculty accountability in professional medical education.
