Sultanpuri hit & drag case: Delhi court grants bail to accused Ashutosh

Additional sessions judge Susheel Bala Dagar granted bail to Ashutosh upon furnishing a bail bond of ₹50,000

A Delhi court on Tuesday granted bail to Ashutosh, one of the accused in the Sultanpuri drag and death case.

Video grab of a car that reportedly hit a woman and dragged her for kilometers, in the Sultanpuri area of the national Capital. (PTI photo)

While granting bail, the court observed that his role started only after the commission of the offence.

Additional sessions judge Susheel Bala Dagar granted bail to Ashutosh upon furnishing a bail bond of ₹50,000.

The order on Ashutosh’s bail was reserved by the court on Monday.

Advocate Shilpesh Chaudhary who had appeared on behalf of Ashutosh, had on Monday submitted before the court that there are videos, CDRs and Google location that show Ashutosh was not present in the car when the incident occurred, rather, he was at his home.

Chaudhary had also submitted that the offences made out against Ashutosh in the first information report (FIR) are bailable in nature.

He also pointed out before the court that Ashutosh is willing to cooperate in the investigation process.

Special public prosecutor (SPP) Atul Srivastava had opposed the bail application moved by Ashutosh stating that investigation is at a crucial stage and the police are in the process of invoking Section 302 in the matter.

He had on Monday further informed the court that the statements of a few witnesses are yet to be recorded and granting him bail could hamper the ongoing investigation.

The court had on January 12 refused to grant bail to Ashutosh while noting that the investigation is at an initial stage.

On January 9, the court had sent all the six accused in the matter to 14-day judicial custody.

Anjali Kumari, a 20-year-old woman, was hit by a Maruti Baleno on January 1, when she was returning home on her scooter. After being hit by the car, the woman’s leg got stuck in the underside of the car, and she was dragged for nearly two hours on a stretch of over 13 kilometres.