New Delhi: A court came down heavily on police for serious lapses in the investigation of a 2017 road accident, observing that the probe had done the “greatest disservice” to the deceased and his family as police attempted to turn a collision into a “premeditated murder” case by introducing delayed witnesses, omitting crucial records and suppressing forensic evidence.
The prosecution charged Mahanta with murder and attempt to murder, alleging that he had “deliberately” used his car as a weapon. The defence, however, maintained that it was a road accident caused by negligent driving and police had “puffed and padded” the case to establish a murder charge. It highlighted that the earliest medical records described the incident as a “road traffic accident”, while delayed witness statements introduced a narrative of prior confrontation.
additional sessions judge Hargurvarinder Singh Jaggi concluded that “the greatest disservice to Gurpreet Singh ’s memory and his family was committed by the flaws in the investigation itself” While convicting the accused of causing death by negligence.
The judge also flagged the absence of daily diary entries recording the addition of the attempt-to-murder charge and questioned how the account of the alleged motive became more elaborate during the investigation.
The court noted that delayed witnesses were introduced, daily diary entries were missing and the forensic report showing 14 mg/100ml alcohol in the deceased’s blood was suppressed.
”Had the investigating agency treated the incident as a classic, high-speed road traffic accident and conducted a prompt, untainted investigation, collecting immediate blood samples, securing pristine scene evidence, and recording contemporaneous statements, the case… would have been watertight,” the court noted.