Ryan Int’l School Official Seeks Transfer Of Case To Delhi; SC To Hear Plea On Monday

Francis Thomas, Northern Zone head of Ryan International School, who was recently arrested in connection with the murder of a 7-year-old boy, has moved the Supreme Court to shift the hearing of his case from Sohna to Delhi as local lawyers have decided not to represent any of the accused in this case.

The court agreed to hear it on Monday.

In an urgent mentioning, senior advocate KTS Tulsi told the bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra that the accused in the case were unrepresented as no lawyer was allowed to appear for them in the court.
He said every accused has the right to be represented for a fair trial and not allowing any lawyer to appear for them is against their fundamental right guaranteed under the Constitution.

Francis and another school official Joyesh Thomas were arrested on September 11 by the Gurugram police and their remand plea is pending before a magistrate court in Sohna.

On September 9, the Gurugram District Bar Association and Sohna Bar Association passed separate resolutions restraining lawyers from appearing for the accused in the case.

Besides these officials, the police also arrested prime accused Ashok Kumar, a bus conductor, for allegedly attempting to sexually assault the child.

In the petition, filed by advocate Maheen Pradhan before the apex court, the accused sought the apex court to transfer the hearing to Delhi's Saket court.

The magistrate court is scheduled to hear their remand plea in the afternoon on Wednesday.

The CJI said: "Let us not involve the police, as the investigation is in progress, but we will hear the plea on Monday."

On September 8, the class-II student was found murdered in the school washroom in Gurugram