Hit and run: Delhi court rejects bail plea of 19-year-old booked for attempt to murder

A Delhi Court on Friday dismissed the bail plea of a 19-year-old man who was booked on attempt to murder charge for reportedly hitting and dragging a man for 100 meters before stopping in Greater Kailash-I area of the national capital [State v. K Rajapandian]..Denying bail to K Rajapandian, Additional Sessions Judge Prashant Sharma noted that the victim was still in the Intensive Care Unit and it would be premature to discard the police evidence.“Coupled with the same, the conduct of the accused in fleeing away from the spot of the incident; in hiding himself from the police and driving the offending vehicle without a driving licence also did not help the cause of the accused,” the bail order stated..The Court, thus, was of the view that chances of “fleeing from justice and influencing witnesses” could not be ruled out.According to the first information report (FIR) registered on February 2, 2022, the victim Anant Mandelia had come out on the road when a car driven by the accused hit him. The victim was found unconscious and rushed to a hospital..It was alleged that the driver was accompanied by his father seated next to him in the front. The father was booked under Section 212 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for harbouring the accused.It also came on record that police added Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide) of IPC after removing Sections 279 (rash driving) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by endangering life or others’ personal safety) of IPC on the basis of the CCTV footage..This, according to the defense counsel, was done under pressure of the victim’s family. It was argued that the accused was only 19 and in a state of panic pressed the accelerator. The counsel also argued that as the road was empty, the accused was “speeding”.Seeking bail, he urged the court to consider Article 21 of the Constitution and apply reformative theory for this client..The senior counsel appearing on behalf of the complainant, however, submitted that the accused had the habit of speeding in the locality having the knowledge that his act may result in causing death of a person walking on the road.After hearing the arguments, the Court concluded,“So, considering the gravity of the matter, conduct of the accused and other circumstances of this case, accused K Rajapandian is not entitled to bail.”.Senior Counsel Trideep Pais, Advocates Randeep Sachdeva, Shivaang Gupta and Sanya Kumar for the complainant.Additional Public Prosecutor L D Singh for State.Advocate Vinod Sharma for the accused..[Read Order]