Two months after she allegedly rammed her Audi car under the influence of alcohol into a taxi on the Eastern Freeway, killing two persons and injuring four others, the Mumbai Police on Monday filed a charge-sheet against corporate lawyer Jahnvi Gadkar for culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
The RCF police filed a 560-page charge-sheet against Gadkar before a Magistrate’s court at Kurla in north-central Mumbai under Sections 304 part-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) 324, 326, 279,338,337 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and relevant sections Motor Vehicles Act.
Thirty-five-year-old Gadkar, a vice president of the legal team of Reliance Industries limited, was returning home in her Audi Q3 after consuming liquor at a party organised to celebrate a corporate deal at Marine Plaza Hotel and spending some more time at a nearby pub, when the mishap occurred in the small hours of June 10.
On her way home, Gadkari took the wrong carriageway of the Eastern Freeway and collided against a taxi coming from Bhiwandi town in the neighbouring Thane district, killing its driver Sayed Hussain (57) and a businessman Salim Saboonwala (50) travelling by the car. Four family members of Saboonwala — his wife Hafiza (40), daughters Salma (22) and Sadia (20), son Numan (16) who were travelling with him, were injured.
After 57 days behind the bars, Gadkar was granted bail by a metropolitan court on August 5. Earlier, her two bail pleas had been rejected.
The Section 304 ( part-II) of IPC — under which Gadkar has been charged — stipulates a maximum punishment of 10 years rigorous imprisonment.
In its comprehensive charge-sheet, the police have appended the statements of 57 witnesses, including the statements of 14 such witnesses that have been recorded before a Magistrate under section 164 of Criminal Procedure code.