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Synopsis

On Friday, the Delhi High Court issued a notice to the police in the bail plea submitted by Krishan, an accused in the Kanjhawala hit-and-run case from January 2023. The bench of Justice Amit Mahajan instructed the Police to file a status report and scheduled the next hearing for August 14.

Advocate JP Singh, representing Krishan, submitted this bail plea, noting that Krishan had been in custody since January 2023. On July 27, 2023, the Rohini District Court directed that charges of murder and conspiracy be framed against four accused individuals, including Krishan. Three additional accused faced charges for destruction of evidence, harboring the accused, and other offences.

Background: 

On January 1st, a 20-year-old girl, Anjali Singh, riding a scooter, was hit by a car, and her body was dragged under the car for nearly 12 kilometers in Kanjhawala, Delhi. Deepak was accused of assisting the other suspects in hiding and attempting to mislead the investigation by posing as the driver of the vehicle on the night of the incident.

While dismissing the bail plea of Deepak, Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Susheel Bala Dagar of the Rohini Court, Delhi, cited the seriousness and gravity of the allegations. However, interestingly, the court granted bail to Ashutosh, the owner of the offending vehicle. 

During the investigation, Ashutosh, the owner of the offending vehicle, stated that Deepak drove the vehicle at the time of the incident and that all the other accused persons were in it with him.

The Investigating Officer (IO) alleged that all accused persons intentionally caused an accident to the deceased and then dragged her a long distance by car to cause her death and to conceal evidence of the offence with the common intention of shielding themselves from prosecution.

Ashutosh Bhardwaj owned the car that hit the girl, though he claimed he was not present during the incident and had only given his car to the other accused persons earlier for their use. As per the investigating agency, Ashutosh was the custodial owner of the offending vehicle, a Baleno car, and had given it to his friend (co-accused) Amit, who did not have a valid license.