Considering submissions to ‘prima-facie’ show that Ratankumar Mohanlal Meghwal, the  25-year-old medical intern at AIIMS Rajkot, who was found dead on railway tracks on March 15, was “suffering from emotional distress and having suicidal idea” following “acute” stress, the Rajkot Sessions Court on Thursday granted bail to five final year MBBS students accused of abetting his suicide.

The five accused students — Pranav Paliwal, Asmit Sharma, Ayush Yadav, Nirvighnam Noor Yadav and Yuvraj Chaudhary — all aged between 22 and 25, were granted conditional bail by Rajkot Additional Sessions Judge S A Galaria on furnishing a bail bond of Rs 25,000 each.

Considering the submissions of advocates representing the accused as well as the submissions made by police in the documents, the court held that keeping the five accused in judicial custody until the trial is over would amount to “pre-trial punishment.”

The court order also noted that the statement of the doctor, who had provided counselling to Meghwal and an OPD prescription had revealed that the “deceased had active suicidal ideas following an (acute stress)”.

The court order states that the medical records produced in the police papers show that  Meghwal was “a patient of psychological ailment for a long time and his treatment was going on”.

The court order said, “… as per the statement of the doctor, who treated the deceased… (he) was suffering from emotional distress and having active  suicidal idea, following an acute (stress)… (but) prima facie it appears that since January 30 till March 14, there was no contact whatsoever either in person or by phone or any other means between the deceased and the accused, which would indicate no continuous harassment or torture or any sort of pressure from the accused on the deceased.  Thus, there is no proximity of any harassment or instigation prior to the incident of suicide having taken place immediaely…”

The court said police papers had shown that Meghwal had been “provided medical counselling”.  The administration of AIIMS Rajkot had also called the parents of Meghwal after an incident on January 28, 2026, when the deceased had left the boys hostel at round 3 am with “an intent to commit suicide after making posts on a Whatsapp group”.

However, he had been found at 8.30 am on the railway track near the Nageshwar area of Rajkot. The court noted submissions that the student or his parents had not lodged “any complaint”. The court also noted that in a statement recorded after he was found on January 28, Meghwal had said that he was “sentimental and left the premises” as one of the accused –Paliwal–  was “his best friend but due to the exchange of (heated) words… since last month they were not talking to each other”.

The court also considered that after the incident of January 28,  Meghwal moved to his native place (Jaisalmer, Rajasthan) on January 30 with “permission of the institution” and thereafter he allegedly “spread (an) alleged suicide note on February 4, 2026 on Whatsapp”. The court also noted the statement of one witness that a friend of the deceased had made a phone call to him on March 8 to “inquire about Meghwal’s health and asked whether he was coming to attend the upcoming exam”.

The court order states, “(The) deceased had informed him that his health is fine and he will come to attend the examination… According to the statement of one of the witnesses, he received  a phone call from the deceased on March 13, 2026, at around 7.45 pm, and the conversation was about half an hour (long) and the deceased informed his friend that he had reached Rajkot…”

The court order notes that at 3.35 am on March 14, one of the friends of the deceased received a Whatsapp message with a suicide note posted by him on Instagram, holding the five boys responsible for his death.

The court order states, “…according to the prosecution’s case, the alleged incident of torture and physical harrassment.. occurred on January 27, and then also no complaint seems to have been lodged either by the decesed or his family members…. The record reveals that the deceased was a patient of psychological ailment… Further it is material to note that the incident of suicide occurred on March 14 and (as per the submissions), the deceased was not in contact with the (applicants)..”

The court also stated that in the testimony of the doctor, who provided counselling to the accused after the January 27 incident, “on further inquiry by this doctor, no other incident of beating and casteist remarks” had been mentioned by the deceased to the doctor.

The court said, “The applicant is in judicial custody since March 14… and the investigation is likely to be over qua present applicant, (who) is a final year student of medical profession and having no criminal antecedents… If (the applicants) are kept behind bars till the trial is over then it would be pretrial punishment…”

A team of advocates led by advocate Tushar Gokani appeared for the accused in the sessions court. The bail conditions include surrendering passports in the lower court within a week and to not leave India without permission of the sessions court, among others.