Chennai, Sep 1,2022: The Madras High Court has ruled that teachers cannot be booked for abetment of suicide of students merely because they had asked the student concerned to study well.

Granting bail to all the five accused in the suicide of a 17-year-old Class 12 student at Kallakurichi on July 13, a single-judge bench of Justic G.K. Ilanthiraiyan observed that prima facie, it was a clear case of suicide and that there was no evidence to show that the girl was gang raped or tortured as alleged by her parents.

The bench said that it was “unfortunate” that teachers could be booked by the police for merely asking a student to study well as it went through two post-mortem reports submitted by the local police as also the content of the suicide note allegedly left behind by the deceased girl.

It is to be noted that the death of the plus two student had led to major arson and violence at Kallakurichi leading to the torching of 30 school buses and police vehicles.

The parents of the girl had registered a complaint with the police alleging foul play and alleged that their daughter had likely been raped before her death.

Five persons including two teachers, school principal, school management correspondent, and school secretary were arrested and sent to judicial custody.

The petitioners argued that they had no role in the suicide of the 17-year-old girl and denied allegations of rape and torture in their bail application moved in the Madras High Court.

The court also expressed its regret at the death of a student by suicide for facing difficulties in her studies and said: “It should not happen in the future.”