The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has submitted before the Supreme Court its chargesheet in the case relating to the 2022 suicide of a Class XII student at a Christian missionary-run school in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district.
The case had drawn nationwide attention following allegations that the girl had taken her life due to pressure from school authorities to convert to Christianity. However, the CBI, in its chargesheet, stated that no evidence had been found to substantiate claims of a forced conversion attempt.
In the chargesheet filed before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Court in Thiruchirappalli in December 2023, the agency said that allegations regarding attempts at religious conversion by the convent sisters and teachers of Sacred Heart Higher Secondary School, Michaelpatti, could not be established.
At the same time, the CBI concluded that Sister Sagaya Mary, the hostel warden, had subjected the student to continuous harassment and exploitation, which caused severe mental stress and ultimately drove her to suicide.
According to the investigation, the warden had allegedly compelled the student to carry out hostel accounts-related work, which interfered with her studies. The agency stated that the sustained harassment and exploitation contributed to the student taking the extreme step.
Based on its findings, the CBI held Sister Sagaya Mary culpable for offences under Section 305 of the Indian Penal Code, relating to abetment of suicide of a minor, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, which pertains to cruelty against a child.
The probe had been transferred to the CBI by the Madras High Court in 2022 amid intense political controversy surrounding the case. The High Court, while ordering the transfer, had observed that the conversion angle could not be ruled out as improbable and had faulted the State Police for dismissing it.
Challenging the High Court’s order, the Tamil Nadu government moved the Supreme Court. While the apex court admitted the State’s appeal, it declined to stay the CBI investigation.
In November 2025, the Supreme Court directed the CBI to place the chargesheet on record. Complying with the directive, the agency submitted the chargesheet along with an affidavit filed on 20 January 2026.
A bench comprising Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma is scheduled to consider the matter.
Source: LiveLaw
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