The Alappuzha South Police has decided to register a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against the authorities of the St. Mary’s School, Vattayal, where Fathima, a Class Five student was electrocuted on February 10.
The police on February 15 were directed by the Alappuzha Judicial First Class Magistrate Shiju Sheik to register a case, conduct a probe into the death and to report the same to the court after social worker and advocate T.M. Subhash filed a public interest litigation, pointing out that the proper punitive action had to be initiated in order to prevent such tragic incidents in future. Accordingly, the police submitted a report on Tuesday, saying that the case, which was initially registered as of an unnatural death, was being altered to be one under sections 304, 201 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
The school manager, Rev. Fr. Stephen J. Punnackal, will be arraigned as the first accused while school headmistress Letitia will be the second accused. A security personnel at the school, Kunjumon alias Joseph, will be the third accused, the police said in the report.
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With the accused being charged with offences under Section 304, which are non-bailable and with a possible imprisonment of up to 10 years, the accused have approached the District Sessions Court on Thursday with requests for anticipatory bail.
The police, meanwhile, have also submitted a request to transfer the case from the sub divisional magistrate court to the Judicial First Class Magistrate court for trial purposes.