Patna: A Patna court on Thursday granted default bail to Manish Ranjan, owner of the building housing a girls’ hostel, in the case involving the rape and death of a 17-year-old NEET student, upon furnishing bail bonds of Rs 25,000 with two sureties of like amount.The relief was granted after the CBI failed to file its charge sheet within the mandatory 90 days, despite a specific direction issued by the court on April 10, 2026, to complete the investigation on time. The court observed the statutory period had expired without any charge sheet being filed and termed the explanation given by the investigating officer for the delay unsatisfactory.Special judge (POCSO-cum-additional sessions judge) Rajeev Ranjan Raman recommended administrative scrutiny into the circumstances leading to the delay. “The explanation offered does not satisfactorily disclose compelling reasons for non-compliance. However, at this stage, any conclusive finding on alleged collusion or intentional delay would be premature. Nevertheless, the matter warrants administrative scrutiny,” he said.The case dates back to Jan 9, 2026, when the 17-year-old girl from Jehanabad was found unconscious in her hostel room in Patna and later died in hospital. The post-mortem report indicated sexual violence could not be ruled out, triggering public outrage. Manish was arrested as the building owner, and the CBI later took over the investigation.The victim’s family expressed shock and anger over the development. A family member questioned the delay in filing the charge sheet and urged the agency to conduct a fair investigation so the culprits receive strict punishment.The victim’s lawyer, S K Pandey, said the court had set a clear 90-day deadline for filing the charge sheet, adding the agency faced no apparent obstacle in meeting the timeline.The court imposed conditions on the bail, including that Manish must not leave the court’s jurisdiction without permission, cooperate in the investigation, appear as required and not influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.
