Date: August 2, 2023

Kottarakkara, Kerala: Sandeep, the sole accused in the brutal murder of 23-year-old house surgeon Dr. Vandana Das, has approached the Kerala High Court seeking bail. The matter is currently before the Single Judge Bench of Justice Ziyad Rahman A.A.

In May 2023, the tragic incident occurred at Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital, where Dr. Vandana Das was allegedly stabbed multiple times by Sandeep, who is a school teacher. The accused had been brought to the hospital by the police for treatment of his injuries at that time. However, according to the prosecution's case, he turned violent during his treatment and attacked Dr. Das with dressing room scissors. Despite her attempts to escape, Sandeep pursued her and continued the assault.

The charges against Sandeep include offences punishable under Sections 341 ('Punishment for Wrongful Restraint'), 324 ('Voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means'), 333 ('Voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from his duty'), 307 ('Attempt to murder'), and 302 ('Punishment for Murder') of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

Additionally, he is charged under Sections 4 and 3 of the Kerala Healthcare Service Persons and Healthcare Service Institutions (Prevention of Violence and Damage to Property) Act, 2012, and Section 5 of the Kerala Prevention of Damage to Private Property and Payment of Compensation Act, 2019.

Sandeep has claimed that he was denied legal assistance during the investigation, and even in Court, he faced challenges in freely communicating with his lawyers. He strongly denies the allegations against him, calling them a 'cooked-up story' by the Prosecution and asserting that there is no prima facie case against him. He insists that he is innocent and was arrested solely based on suspicion.

Furthermore, Sandeep alleges that at the time of committing the act, he was under the influence of sedative medicines and unsoundness of mind, rendering him incapable of knowing the nature of his actions or their wrongfulness under the law.

Adding to his plea, Sandeep highlights a violation of norms, as certain information from the investigation was leaked to the media before the final report was filed in Court. He argues that this may have led to distorted versions of events being circulated in the public domain.

The petitioner emphasizes that, in order to invoke Section 302 of the IPC, there must be an intention to cause death, which he believes is lacking in the present case. Sandeep contends that since he did not cause Dr. Vandana's murder, his continued incarceration is unnecessary.

The bail application has been filed through Advocates B.A. Aloor, K.P. Prasanth, Archana Suresh, Haritha Hariharan, and Ailin Elezabeth Mathew.

The High Court will now consider the merits of Sandeep's plea and make a decision on the bail application in due course. The case has garnered significant public attention due to its sensitivity, and the Court will take into account all relevant factors before reaching a decision.

Case Title: Sandeep v. State of Kerala

Case Number: BAIL APPL. 6522/ 2023