Shivam Mishra, the tobacco baron’s son accused of ploughing his Lamborghini into six people in Kanpur on Sunday, received bail within a few hours of his arrest on Thursday
with the police apparently putting up little resistance in court.

Shivam, 26, had arrived in an ambulance and entered the Kanpur court supported by two assistants and a policeman. He walked out on his own, smiling, and left with his team of more than a dozen helpers and security guards.

The police had said they would seek 14 days’ remand to probe whether Shivam had been drunk at the time of the accident, and how he and his father K.K. Mishra had allegedly tried to tamper with evidence and mislead the investigators. But sources said the police didn’t appear too interested in arguing for remand in the court.

After the accident that left two motorbike riders and four pedestrians injured, the father had claimed that driver Mohanlal was at the wheel. But Kanpur police commissioner Raghubir Lal said, citing CCTV footage, that Shivam was himself driving.

The court said Shivam was entitled to bail on furnishing a personal bond of ₹20,000 because the charges attracted less than seven years in jail. The usual sentence for rash and negligent driving is six months to three years.

Shivam had allegedly fled the spot after the accident. “We learnt that the accused had returned home and arrested him in the morning,” deputy commissioner of police Atul Srivastava said.

“We shall pursue the case and add all the charges in our chargesheet, including rash driving, tampering with evidence and misleadingthe police.”

A government source said: “Shivam’s father was in touch with senior police officers and some senior politicians and the arrest was made after he agreed to it. He was arrested about 90 hours after the incident; so we can’t establish that he was drunk at the time.

He added: “Although K.K. Mishra had claimed he had sent his son to Delhi for treatment, he was actually in a hospital at Bithur in Kanpur.”

Mrityunjay Singh, one of Shivam’s lawyers, said: “He was arrested from a hospital in Kanpur and the police brought him to court without any hassle.”

In the morning, Shivam walked slowly to the court, supported by his personal assistants from both sides.