Greater Noida: A city court on Tuesday granted bail to an arrested associate professor of Sharda University in the alleged suicide case of a 21-year-old Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student who was found dead at her hostel room in Greater Noida, Knowledge Park, on July 18.
The court granted bail on a personal bond of ₹50,000 with multiple conditions, including not hampering the ongoing investigation. Two people were arrested in the case.
Advocate Jayendra Dubey, who represented the arrested associate professor Mahinder Singh Chouhan, contested various facts highlighted during the investigation. “Chouhan has a clean image and has never been involved in criminal activity,” he stated.
Citing the allegations of a forged signature, Dubey contested, “Due to her absence from practical sessions for a long time, the victim did not find a solution and forged the signature, mentioning the dates January 18, 2024, and January 28, 2024. On one of those dates, Chouhan was absent, while the second date fell on a Sunday.”
He further highlighted the suicide note found in the possession of the deceased student. “The suicide note mentioned the names of Mahinder Singh Chouhan and assistant professor Shairy Vashist, stating they should be held responsible for her death and mental torture. However, none of the incidents were mentioned in the note.”
Advocate Dubey also highlighted the counselling session when the deceased student and her father were called into the dean’s cabin regarding the signature issue on July 14. “The CCTV footage recovered by the police also shows that after the meeting, the deceased was leaving the room with a smile on her face,” he said.
The Gautam Budh Nagar court, headed by session judge Malkhan Singh, acknowledged all the facts and granted bail. “The accused shall be released on bail on the following conditions: upon furnishing a personal bond of ₹50,000 and two sureties of the like amount to the satisfaction of the concerned court. If a complaint is received regarding the accused being involved in any subsequent offence, then after inquiry, the bail may be cancelled at any moment. If a complaint is received that the accused is attempting to influence, threaten, or intimidate witnesses, then after inquiry, the bail may be cancelled at any moment. If a complaint is received that the accused is not cooperating in the trial, then after inquiry, the bail may be cancelled at any moment,” stated the order issued on Tuesday.
Notably, on July 18, the second-year BDS student from Gurugram was found dead inside room 1209(C) on the 12th floor of Mandela hostel around 8.45 pm after a student in room 1209(B) received a call from the deceased’s parents to check on her. Without informing the police or parents for more than 90 minutes, the college rushed the girl to Sharda Hospital, where doctors declared her dead and alerted Knowledge Park police via 112.