Patna NEET aspirant death case: Court defers hostel owner's bail plea

On Monday, the court hearing, presided over by the District and Additional Sessions Judge-VI--POCSO Court, lasted nearly two hours, during which heated arguments occurred between the victim's family counsel and a CBI representative. In which, the counsel once again raised concerns about shortcomings and possible lapses in the investigation.

Countering these claims, the CBI counsel argued that such criticisms of the bail proceedings were misplaced and stressed that the agency did not require the owner's further involvement or custody at this stage, as stated in the formal submission.

Also, the Special Investigation Team (SIT)'s investigating officer, Anu Kumari, who is also the SDPO of the Secretariat, told the court that they did not require his custody as the case had been transferred to the CBI.

Additionally, the agency's Investigation Officer (IO), Pawan Kumar Srivastava, also said that they do not need the owner of the hostel building, according to TOI.

On the other hand, the victim's lawyer, SK Pandey, strongly criticised the central agency's handling of the case. He stated that the CBI deliberately omitted charges under the POCSO Act from its FIR. He also accused officials of tampering with evidence.

Meanwhile, during the hearing, the court issued a show-cause notice to the jailer of Beur Central Jail for failing to present him in court for a long time. He has been in judicial custody since his arrest in mid-January.

This new hearing follows two previous postponements of the bail proceedings. The earlier delays were due to incomplete submissions and responses from the investigating teams, including the CBI and the Special Investigation Team (SIT), and the need for more detailed updates on the status of the investigation.