Jaipur: In a fresh development related to the Nov 1, 2025, death of nine-year-old Amaira at the city’s Neerja Modi School, a Jaipur court Tuesday took cognisance of the police chargesheet in the case against school owner Saurabh Modi, principal Indu Dubey, class teacher Punita Sharma and housekeeping staffer Ramu.All four accused, present in the court Tuesday, were granted bail.Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate 10, Jaipur Metropolitan-I, reviewed the offences outlined in the chargesheet and subsequently committed the case to the Children’s Court for further proceedings.The magistrate court did not rule on a plea by Amaira’s family that sought additional charges, including abetment of suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), against the accused.“We sought inclusion of the offence of abetment of suicide against all four accused and the charge of cruelty to a child against the school owner and principal,” said Amit Sharma, counsel for Amaira’s parents.“The court, however, held that at the stage of taking cognisance, it could proceed only on the offences mentioned in the police chargesheet,” he added.Sharma further pointed out that police invoked the Juvenile Justice Act only against the class teacher, despite the involvement of the school management in the circumstances leading to Amaira’s death.The police chargesheet against the accused lists charges under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including Section 106 (1) (causing death by negligence), Section 238 (causing disappearance of evidence) and Section 75.Senior advocate Vivek Raj Bajwa, appearing for the school management, argued against the complainant’s plea, maintaining that “fresh charges cannot be added at the stage of cognisance by the magistrate and can only be considered during the stage of framing of charges”.He further contended that the evidence gathered during the investigation did not indicate any intentional actions that would warrant the inclusion of the charge of abetment of suicide.Amaira, a Class IV student, died following a fall from the fourth floor of Neerja Modi School last year. Police had filed the chargesheet in the case following an extensive investigation.The case will now move to the Children’s Court, which will determine whether additional charges are necessary before the trial commences.
