A Dhaka court has set Jan 8 for the submission of the reinvestigation report in the case over the suicide of Aritry Adhikary, a ninth grader at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam passed the order on Wednesday, bdnews24.com reports. 

The report was originally scheduled to be submitted on Wednesday, but Abir Hossain, additional police superintendent at the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) Dhaka Metro (South), was unable to file it.

Sub-Inspector Rukunuzzaman from the Prosecution Division confirmed the development.

Aritry, 15, died by suicide at home on Dec 3, 2018, a day after the school removed her from an exam over alleged cheating.

According to the case dossier, the school authorities “insulted” her parents in her presence and threatened to expel her. Following this, she took her own life.

On Dec 4, 2018, Aritry’s father Dilip Adhikary filed a case alleging instigation to suicide. Her classmates also staged protests. The school teachers were arrested by police but later bailed.

The case alleged that the insult and the trauma of not being allowed to sit for exams drove Aritry to take her life.

Following an investigation, on Mar 28, 2019, DB Inspector Kamrul Hasan Talukdar submitted the chargesheet against Naznin Ferdous, the then acting principal of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College, and Zinnat Akter, who was in charge of the morning shift.

The document said the suspect’s “cruel behaviour and unprofessional conduct” instigated Aritry to commit suicide.

Aritry’s class teacher Hasna Hena was also initially named in the case but was later dropped from the chargesheet.

The trial against Naznin and Zinnat began on Jul 10, 2019, following the framing of charges.

Out of 18 witnesses, Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Session Judge Rabiul Alam heard 15.

Witnesses included Aritry’s father Dilip, mother Beauty Adhikary, their house guard identified only as Shukdeb, Dilip’s colleague Sanjay Adhikary, and neighbour Merina Mondal.

After closing arguments on Nov 27, 2023, the court first fixed Jan 21, 2024, for the verdict.

The date was later shifted multiple times to -- Feb 8, Mar 3, Apr 9, May 3 and Jul 25 -- as the verdict was not prepared.

On Jul 25 last year, instead of delivering the verdict, Dhaka 12th Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Abdullah Al Mamun ordered a reinvestigation, pointing to “lapses” by the previous investigation officer.