Over three years after the suicide of IIT-Bombay student Darshan Solanki, a special court on Wednesday framed charges against a fellow student for alleged abetment and criminal intimidation, paving the way for the trial.
The special court framed charges against Arman Khatri under sections 306 (abetment of suicide), 506 (2) (aggravated criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code along with two sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Khatri pleaded not guilty. The trial will now commence.
On February 12, 2023, 18-year-old Solanki allegedly jumped off the eighth floor of his hostel building at the IIT-B campus in Powai. A Special Investigation Team was formed to probe the death case, in which claims were made that Solanki had allegedly made a communal remark during a conversation with Khatri.
Khatri thus threatened Solanki with a paper cutter, police had said. The SIT had said that a note was found in Solanki’s hostel room on March 3, 2023 where he had written: “Arman has killed me”.
Khatri, who was also 18 at the time, was arrested on April 9, 2023, and was granted bail by a sessions court on May 6, 2023. The court had then said that prima facie there was nothing to show that he had harassed Solanki on the grounds of caste, or instigated him to commit suicide. Khatri resumed his studies after being released at the institute.
Special Public Prosecutor Prakash Salsingikar had submitted the draft charge against Khatri before the court, based on the evidence part of the chargesheet, including witness statements and the note found in Solanki’s room. On Wednesday, it was read out and explained to him, to which he then pleaded not guilty. Khatri’s lawyer, Wahab Khan, also filed an application seeking directives to the prosecution to file the list of documents not relied upon in the chargesheet.
In 2025, Khatri had approached the Bombay High Court seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings against him but withdrew the plea.
An interim inquiry report by IIT-Bombay following the incident stated that no specific evidence of caste-based discrimination faced by Solanki at the institute was found. His family then sought a detailed inquiry stating that during his regular phone calls to them, Solani had spoken about the environment at the institute.
Sadaf Modak is a distinguished Legal Correspondent based in Mumbai whose work demonstrates exceptional Expertise and Authority in covering the intricacies of the judicial and correctional systems. Reporting for The Indian Express, she is a highly Trustworthy source for in-depth coverage of courtroom proceedings and human rights issues.
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