Bandra crash: Court refuses bail to nutritionist Megha Rawal

Ansh Gupta, a Class 3 student and the only son of a street vendor, was killed near Jijamata Garden on St John Baptist Road in Bandra West. Police have alleged that Rawal was driving her SUV at high speed and talking on her phone when she hit the child

MUMBAI: Nutritionist Megha Rawal, 44, accused of fatally running over an eight-year-old boy in Bandra last week, will remain in custody after a sessions court on Monday rejected her bail plea. The court’s decision came as the prosecution opposed her release, citing pending investigation into the August 30 crash, including examination of CCTV footage, forensic analysis of her phone and further witness statements.

Bandra crash: Court refuses bail to nutritionist Megha Rawal

Ansh Gupta, a Class 3 student and the only son of a street vendor, was killed near Jijamata Garden on St John Baptist Road in Bandra West. Police have alleged that Rawal was driving her SUV at high speed and talking on her phone when she hit the child.

Rawal, however, has denied the allegations in her bail plea and called the incident an “unfortunate and unintentional road accident”. She said she was returning home after visiting a farmers’ market near Carter Road when she saw Ansh crossing the road after a blind turn.

In her version, she stopped the SUV to allow the child to cross and moved ahead slowly. She said she stopped again after noticing people looking towards the vehicle and realised that the child had been hit. She then took him to Holy Family Hospital, according to her plea.

Her lawyers, advocates Ankita Singh and Bhavya Shah, argued that the circumstances did not establish the criminal conduct alleged by the prosecution and that merely alleging that she was driving at high speed was not enough to establish criminal culpability.

They also submitted that the investigation could continue through CCTV footage, electronic evidence and witness statements without Rawal being kept in custody.

The prosecution opposed the plea, pointing to the nature of the road where the crash occurred. It said the road was wide enough for two vehicles to pass and that children frequently played and crossed near the garden. Prosecutors said CCTV footage still had to be verified, the vehicle had to be inspected and documents and additional witness statements had to be examined.

Police had already recorded an eyewitness statement and conducted a spot panchnama. The prosecution also relied on eyewitness accounts alleging that Rawal was speaking on the phone while driving.

Ansh’s family opposed bail during the hearing and alleged through their lawyer that members of Rawal’s family had attempted to influence or threaten a witness. The family sought protection for witnesses. The defence, meanwhile, offered to accept a condition barring Rawal from entering Bandra if she was granted bail.

Rawal had earlier been sent to judicial custody by a magistrate court in Bandra after police sought further custody as part of the investigation. Police had told the magistrate that the CCTV footage was grainy and could not conclusively show whether Rawal was using her phone when the crash occurred. Her phone was sent for forensic examination and call-detail analysis.

The sessions court rejected her bail plea on Monday. The detailed order is awaited.