Cyrus Mistry accident: Palghar police file charge sheet against Dr Pandole

The development comes two months after she was booked for causing death due to rash and negligent driving under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.

Mumbai: The Palghar police on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against noted obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Anahita Pandole (55) in connection with the accident which killed industrialist Cyrus Mistry (54) and her brother-in-law Jehangir Pandole (49) four months ago.

The FIR was registered on November 5 at the Kasa police station in Palghar district, in whose jurisdiction the accident had occurred on September 4 last year. Anahita Pandole, who had suffered serious injuries in the accident, was discharged on December 22 after spending 108 days in hospital. (HT PHOTO)

The development comes two months after she was booked for causing death due to rash and negligent driving under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Motor Vehicles Act.

The FIR was registered on November 5 at the Kasa police station in Palghar district, in whose jurisdiction the accident had occurred on September 4 last year. Anahita Pandole, who had suffered serious injuries in the accident, was discharged on December 22 after spending 108 days in hospital.

“We have filed a charge sheet against Dr Pandole before the Dahanu court on Wednesday,” said Balasaheb Patil, superintendent of police, Palghar. The charge sheet runs into around 150 pages, according to Sanjeev Pimpale, deputy superintendent of police of Dahanu division.

“All the sections that were invoked in the FIR have been retained in the charge sheet. We have included reports from Mercedes Benz, the Forensic Sciences Laboratory (FSL) and the Regional Transport Office (RTO) in the charge sheet, as well as statements of four to five eye-witnesses and details of Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) camera footage of the vehicle captured at a toll plaza before the accident occurred,” Pimpale said.

A team of experts from Mercedes Benz had also analyzed the electronic data chip installed in the car, and submitted a report saying Dr Pandole was driving at 100 kmph, and that she hit the brakes 3.5 seconds before the impact, bringing the car’s speed down to 89 kmph. The sudden jolt resulted in Mistry and Jehangir, who were in the rear passenger seats, hitting the backrests of the front seats, leading to severe injuries.

The charge sheet also included a statement of Dr Pandole’s husband Darius, and details the challans issued to her in the past, indicating a history of speeding. HT had on December 15 reported how a total of 19 challans were issued to Dr Pandole from 2020 to 2022, of which 11 were for speed limit violations.

The FIR had invoked Sections 304A (causing death due to negligence), 279 (rash driving), 336 (endangering lives), 337 (causing hurt) and 338 (causing grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 112 (limits of speed), 183 (driving at excessive speed) and 184 (dangerous driving) of the Motor Vehicles Act, besides Sections 14 (overtaking), 5 (duties of drivers/riders), and 6 (lane traffic) of the Motor Vehicle Driving Regulations.