A Delhi court on Wednesday heard submissions on the bail plea of Gaganpreet Kaur, accused of driving a BMW that fatally struck a senior Union finance ministry official near Dhaula Kuan earlier this month, leaving his wife grievously injured.
Counsel for accused Gaganpreet Kaur made submissions on her bail plea on Wednesday. Kaur’s counsel urged the court to grant bail, saying the charges were wrongly framed.
“The intention of the accused is misconceived. She is not a doctor and did not have the knowledge of how much time the patient may die,” the counsel said, as reported by ANI.
The defence further argued: “It is not a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.”
The crash took place on September 14 near the Delhi Cantonment metro station on Ring Road.
Police said the BMW X5, allegedly driven by Kaur, rammed into the two-wheeler of Navjot Singh, 52, deputy secretary in the department of economic affairs. Singh, a resident of Hari Nagar, was returning home with his wife after visiting Bangla Sahib Gurdwara when the collision occurred.
Singh died of his injuries in hospital, while his wife, 50, remains under treatment. Kaur, 38, and her husband, who run a leather business in Gurugram, were also injured.
Eyewitnesses said a woman was at the wheel when the car struck the motorcycle from behind. The couple travelling in the BMW arranged for the injured to be taken to hospital in a taxi.
Kaur’s advocate pointed out that she had already been in custody for 10 days since her arrest and was not seeking anticipatory bail. “She is not a flight risk, she cooperated in the investigation. Her mobile and drive have been handed over to the police when it was asked,” the counsel submitted, ANI reported.
Adding that the impact of the case extended to her family, the defence told the court: “The entire family is victim and all the evidence is with the police.”
Earlier on September 20, the public prosecutor opposed bail, saying that important parts of the investigation were incomplete. These included examination of Kaur’s mobile phone, verification of her driving licence, and presentation of CCTV footage to the complainant, Singh’s wife who remains medically unfit to be examined.
The court also extended Kaur’s judicial custody until September 27.
On Saturday, the court disposed of Kaur’s plea seeking preservation of CCTV footage after the Delhi Police informed that video from Dhaula Kuan metro pillars 65 and 67 had already been seized.
Kaur’s lawyer had earlier emphasised the importance of examining the footage.
Police registered a case under sections 281, 125B, 105 and 238 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). “During the investigation, FSL Team and Crime Team inspected the accident site. Both the accident vehicles BMW and motorcycle are also inspected. Section 238 deals with causing disappearance of evidence or giving false information to shield an offender.