The Kerala High Court has orally expressed concern over complaints of alleged ill-treatment of students at medical colleges in the State.

The court was hearing an anticipatory bail plea filed by M.K. Ram, former head of the Department of Anatomy at Kannur Medical College, in a case registered against him following the alleged suicide of a BDS student in April.

Dr. Ram was arraigned as the prime accused in the case related to the death of Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private management college in Anjarakandy, Kannur. He was found dead on the campus on April 10 after allegedly being subjected to harassment on the basis of his caste and complexion.

Opposing the bail plea, the prosecution submitted that the trial court had denied bail to Dr. Ram based on statements made by the deceased student’s classmates.

The High Court then orally observed that the government ought to take note of what was happening in medical colleges. Many were not even disclosing such incidents. A committee could be constituted, a report obtained on such incidents, and remedial measures and guidelines formulated, it said.

Dr. Ram, who was dismissed from service following the student’s death, approached the court seeking anticipatory bail after the Kannur District and Principal Sessions Court dismissed his plea. The court had granted bail to co-accused Sangeetha Nambiar, an Associate Professor at the college.

The matter has been posted for hearing on Monday.