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Pocso-accused woman teacher granted bail

TNN / May 27, 2025, 05:40 IST

Surat: A Surat court on Monday granted bail — with certain conditions — to the 23-year-old woman teacher who is accused of offences under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.

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During the hearing of the bail plea, the teacher's advocate, Vaajid Shaikh, argued that she had been wrongly accused as the sections pertaining to ‘penetrative sex' were incorrectly invoked by police. He said that a woman cannot carry out penetrative assault on a male. Shaikh also mentioned discrepancies in the victim's age, as the FIR and investigation state the victim's age as 11 and 13 respectively.

Shaikh argued: "Pocso Sections 4, 6, 8 and 12 were wrongly invoked in the case, as a woman cannot perpetrate penetrative assault on a male.

Only a male can penetrate. Thus, these sections are not relevant to my female client. Police have made a serious mistake in the FIR in this regard."

As the accused went for an abortion, it was also argued that she is having a stressful time. "After the abortion, the accused can be subject to mental and emotional shock. Due to the emotional setback, she may go into depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The age of the victim was shown as 11 years at the time of the FIR, while during the investigation, it was revealed he had crossed 13 years.

This raises doubts about the victim's maturity."

On the victim's side, the public prosecutor opposed bail and argued: "The accused gave tuitions to the victim and sexually exploited him when no one was at her home. She abducted him on April 25 and stayed with him at hotels and cities where she had physical relations with the victim. As the victim's future has been adversely affected by this incident, it is possible that the accused will not be afraid of the law if granted bail.

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It is possible that she may target another child in the future. She may also tamper with the evidence. So, she should not be granted bail."

After hearing both sides, the court observed: "The probe related to the crime is near an end. As the abortion is completed and evidence related to that has also been collected, there is not much recovery or discovery left in the case. As the trial may take a long time to be completed, it seems appropriate to grant the accused bail." The court laid down certain conditions while granting bail.

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Student-led initiatives take centre stage at Oakridge International School Bengaluru

SPOTLIGHT / Updated: May 22, 2025, 15:20 IST

International Schools across India are increasingly embracing student agency—a transformative approach that places learners at the centre of their educational journey. Oakridge International School Bengaluru has been a forerunner of this methodology as an IB continuum school, empowering students to take ownership of their learning process.

"When students feel heard and valued in the school, they become empowered," explains Kavita Sukhani, Principal, Oakridge International School Bengaluru. "Our students graduate from school with everything they need for success – whatever they choose to be or do in life”.

The initiatives by the Student Council at Oakridge exemplify how learner agency positively impacts both the school community and society at large.

Oak Insider – Digital Community Building

Teachers at Oakridge constantly train students on digital etiquette and encourage responsible use of gadgets, which is an essential self-management skill. This academic year, the student-led Instagram page garnered 60,000+ views and 1,000+ interactions, establishing an effective communication channel for school events.

OAKMUN – Oakridge Model United Nations

Oakridge International School Bengaluru hosted its 9th edition of prestigious Model United Nations, bigger & better as OAK MUN in November 2024. A one-of-its-kind MUN in the city, solely organised by the student leaders, witnessed the participation of 350+ students from 12 schools. The event is expanding to an international level as SEAMEI OAKMUN in September 2025.

CASNIVAL – Creativity, Activity, and Service in Action

Christmas is when students celebrate the “Joy of Giving” through CASnival. Students organised food and game stalls, raising ₹1.5 lakhs to support the different charitable causes they are part of. Their efforts contributed to community development and to the Social Impact campaign of Nord Anglia Education.

Codefest – Overnight Hackathon

The 8th edition of Oakridge Codefest, the prestigious overnight hackathon, witnessed more than 100 participants contesting to secure cash prizes from a pool of ₹ 1.5 lakhs. The student committee successfully secured Adobe as the event sponsor, with the teachers supporting them to independently organise a large event.

Relay for Life – Social Impact Campaign

This Social Impact initiative, steered by the student-led Social Outreach Committee at Oakridge, successfully raised ₹ 2,20,000 for the activities of the Indian Cancer Society. Students brought together the school community for Relay for Life, an overnight walkathon dedicated to celebrating cancer survivors, honouring the loved ones lost, and raising funds for the work that aids cancer patients.

Phoenix Cup – Interschool Sports Competition

The interschool sports competition featured basketball, football, and swimming events, drawing around 400 enthusiastic participants from 12 schools across Bengaluru. The event highlighted student independence and autonomy in organising the event and networking with fellow players from different schools.

Inter House Activities & Cultural Celebrations

Regular house-wise competitions ensure a supportive ecosystem for students to celebrate inquiry and creativity. Throughout the year, the Student Council also organises celebrations for Dussehra, Diwali, Halloween, Winter Spirit Week, Teachers’ Day, and Good Luck Party, promoting inclusivity and encouraging cultural appreciation within the school community.

“We are constantly on the lookout for opportunities where the Council can support students and enrich their school experience. This year, one of our key focuses is to strengthen school and student culture by organising a variety of events throughout the year”, says Yajwin Krishna, Student Council President (AY 24-25). Speaking of student agency at Oakridge he further added, “The events are closely aligned with our school’s mission and vision, which remain at the heart of all Council initiatives. We have an open environment where students feel encouraged to voice their thoughts and opinions. Our Student Council is truly by the students, for the students”. Sachit Shastri, Student Council Vice President (AY 24-25) echoed the same sentiment.

About Nord Anglia Education:

As a leading international schools organisation, the institution is shaping a generation of creative and resilient global citizens who graduate from their schools with everything they need for success, whatever they choose to be or do in life.

Their strong academic foundations combine world-class teaching and curricula with cutting-edge technology and facilities, creating learning experiences like no other. Inside and outside of the classroom, they inspire their students to achieve more than they ever thought possible.

No two children learn the same way, which is why their schools around the world personalise learning to what works best for every student. Inspired by high-quality teachers, their students achieve outstanding academic results and go on to study at the world's top universities.

The Nord Anglia global family includes 80+ day and boarding schools in 33 countries, teaching over 90,000 students from ages 3 to 18.

To learn more or apply for a place for your child at one of their schools, visit here.

For admission enquiries, you can enquire here.

Disclaimer: This article has been produced on behalf of Oakridge International School by Times Internet’s Spotlight team.

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PM to launch projects worth 232cr for Surat

TNN / May 27, 2025, 00:07 IST

Surat: Projects of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) worth Rs 232 crore will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday from Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar. These include a biodiversity park, a sewage project, schools and a hospital management information system.

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The Wild Valley Biodiversity Park project has been developed at a cost of Rs 145 crore on land along Kakra creek. This park, envisioned as a "lung" for the city, includes walking and cycling tracks, children's play areas and has 500,000 trees and shrubs of 85 different species. The development of this park will enhance the city's green cover.

A sewage project costing Rs 24 crore involves laying a rising main pipeline from the intermediate ONGC sewage pumping station to the Gavier sewage treatment plant.

The project will provide effective sewage management for approximately 60,000 people. It will also supply additional domestic sewage to the Gavier STP, which can be treated and sold for industrial use, generating revenue.

A primary school and a Suman High School are being developed at the cost of Rs 25 crore in the Anjana area of Limbayat. These will benefit 3,000 students by giving them access to quality education for free.

Developed at a cost of Rs 38 crore, a Hospital Management Information System (HMIS) project is aimed at digitizing the functioning of SMC-run hospitals such as SMIMER, Maskati Hospital and various urban health centres. The objectives include improving access to health data, strengthening the digital health infrastructure and enabling effective planning in the healthcare sector.

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Woman swindles 9.5L from jobseekers by posing as govt officer

TNN / May 27, 2025, 00:07 IST

Surat: Police arrested a 22-year-old woman on Sunday for allegedly cheating at least four young men out of Rs 9.59 lakh, by promising them jobs in the Valsad collector's office.

The woman, a Class 12 graduate, posed as a deputy mamlatdar and took money from the victims, promising them jobs as personal assistants (PA), drivers and other positions in the collector's office.

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The accused used several mobile numbers to convince the victims that she was in touch with senior govt officers.

Nimisha Naika knew the complainant, Manav Patel, since their school days. In Oct 2024, Naika told Patel that she was a deputy mamlatdar in Navsari and offered to help him get a govt job. She offered him the job of PA in the Valsad district collector's office and took Rs 4.75 lakh from him.

Naika later allegedly cheated Gunjesh Patel out of Rs 39,000, promising him a driver's job.

Rahul Pancholi paid Rs 4.13 lakh for the job of PA and Milan Patel paid Rs 31,800 for the job of a driver.

To win the victims' confidence, she shared images of a bogus ID card. "She created the ID card using a mobile app. She would share the image of the ID card over the phone with the victims to win their confidence," said a police officer.

Naika knew Patel and through him met the three other victims. According to police, the victims have studied up to Class 12 and are unemployed.

The investigation found that the Naika used multiple mobile numbers to chat with the victims by posing a govt officers posted at various locations. "She was using different mobile phone numbers, which were registered in the names of her family members," a police official said.

After the victims did not get jobs, they pressed Naika to return the money. She gave them an assurance in writing, on stamp paper, that she would return their money. After several months without the money being returned, the victims approached police.

Police suspect there may be more victims, and they will come forward after the registration of the FIR. Naika is married to a man from Songadh.

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