The Kerala High Court on Friday granted bail to CPI(M) MLA James Mathew and another accused in a case registered in connection with the suicide of a higher secondary school headmaster at Taliparamba in Kannur.
Justice B. Kemal Pasha ordered release of the accused, now in judicial custody, on their executing a bond for Rs.1 lakh each with two solvent sureties each to the satisfaction of the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court concerned and subject to certain conditions. The conditions were that they shall report before the investigation officer between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. on all Fridays and Tuesdays, commencing March 13, for three months or till the filing of the final report in the cases, whichever was earlier.
The court ordered that except for appearing before the investigation officer, the petitioners should not enter Chuzhi for six months. The petitioners should make themselves available for interrogation as and when required. Besides, they should not contact the family members of the deceased or make any attempt for the same. Considering the present stage of investigation and the facts and circumstance of the case, continued detention of the petitioners in custody was not required, the court observed.
ADVERTISEMENT
The MLA and A.V. Shaji, a teacher of the school, had surrendered before the court on February 27 following rejection of their anticipatory bail pleas by the High Court. The MLA and the teacher had been charged with abetting the suicide of the headmaster. According to the prosecution, E.P. Sasidharan, headmaster, Tagore Vidyaniketan, committed suicide on December 15, leaving suicide notes holding Shaji, and the MLA responsible for his death. Shaji had acted against the deceased to trap him in a false case. The attempt of Shaji was nothing but to bring one Kamalaksan, a close associate, as headmaster.
The note also revealed that the MLA had threatened and intimidated the deceased over phone, the prosecution alleged.
E.P. Sasidharan took his life on December 15, leaving two suicide notes holding Shaji, his colleague, and the MLA responsible for his death